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Edition 497 – Consistently Inconsistent

Written by Dean Robinson.

Sometime, I can’t figure out if family business owners are lazy, or scared, when it comes to marketing their businesses.

They might be the lazy type if the enquiries keep coming in, the orders pile up and the sales are made. They don’t have to try too hard, for the business just seems to have its own momentum.

They might be scared, simply because they’ve never had to go out and knock on doors in the past, and having to pitch their business to potential new clients, is completely out of their comfort zone.

Whichever reason it might be, I actually believe it’s not only unforgivable, it’s also behaviour that borders on hubris. Why do they expect the world not to change, when it comes to how it interacts with their business?

When the time comes to finally ramp up the marketing initiative, I’m struck at how consistently inconsistent these business owners are, in marketing their businesses. They stop doing it, when activity picks up, then wonder why, when it slows down again, the business is rollercoastering through cashflow issues, patchy sales and employees standing around idle.

I’m no marketing expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I know in my own work, I need to:

  1. Publish a newsletter, weekly.
  2. Upload that newsletter to LinkedIn, weekly.
  3. Speak at least 4 times per annum – either paid or pro-bono.
  4. Publish a mini-book at least once per year, with a deeper focus on the work we do, and the results we achieve.
  5. Catch up for coffee with colleagues, potential clients and other contacts, at least once per month.

You’ll note this edition of Growth is 497 – published consistently since 2015. It’s led to a substantial amount of new work, from businesses I’d not previously engaged with. LinkedIn, too, has introduced me to new clients, including those that are absolutely, positively, in the sweet spot of where I want to be working.

If I was to offer up a few tips, they’d be:

  1. Identify an activity, or activities, and get on with doing it.
  2. Try new things, and if that doesn’t work, try again. Failure is the first step to success.
  3. Don’t overthink it. Often, “simple” works the best.
  4. Develop a calendar for your marketing activities, and stick to it.
  5. Produce something of value that you believe your market is looking for, then roll it out.
  6. Don’t solicit opinions from others prior to pressing “GO” – just do it!

Too many family business owners see marketing as “something they’ll get to”, and in the process, they allow the day-to-day to take over their lives, to the point where, at knock-off time, they look at the marketing endeavour and say to themselves, “I’ll get onto that tomorrow”. Except, tomorrow might be too late.

This Week’s Tip

“Cashflow is a marketing issue” – Phil Symchych – Symco Growth Group – Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada – symcogrowthgroup.com“