It’s amazing how something so simple – quitting – can make such a profound impact. It’s not so much quitting, as it is starting something new, taking a great new direction, finally seeing the truth to things, or making a change. I see the same problem with companies and online marketing projects – every day. I hear the same excuses: “it’s a campaign that we do every year” – or – “we’re going to work with our internal team” – or – “we’ve got a very limited budget.” But wait a tic – isn’t that what created this problem in the first place? How do you expect to make a change in conversion, performance, or sales – when you’re using the same talent and tactics that you’ve always used?
“we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”
-Albert Einstein.
Case in point – take a look at FailBlog.org. Take a look at Tosh.0. These media hotspots exist simply because we as humans can make some pretty amazing mistakes. And – now that almost every cell phone has a video camera that can record with a moment’s notice, we’re REALLY in trouble. But as marketing professionals, we have the tools necessary to avoid these pitfalls, and to avoid the same type of thinking that’s put your online marketing in the toilet, in the first place. But first, you have to learn how to quit.
So before you take one more step down an unsuccessful, underperforming path – quit. The first step in learning how to quit is to have a great reason to do it. Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of 37Signals (you might know them from the popular Project Management software, Basecamp), and the authors of Rework give a couple of great reasons to quit – and it all revolves around asking the question, “Why?” In my experience, I’ve found that the further we get away from a very simple answer to this question, the faster our work loses relevance and purpose.
- Why are you doing this?
- What problem are you solving?
- Is this actually useful?
- Are you adding value?
- Will this change behavior?
- Is there an easier way?
- What could you be doing instead?
- Is it really worth it?*
It’s the first and last that are my two favorites. Going into any marketing project, meeting, or campaign with an easy, direct answer to “why are you doing this,” can immediately help you state the purpose of your task, and how it will help you achieve your end goals. If you’re in marketing – the answer should almost always be; to generate sales and revenue (if it’s not, come talk to me).
That last question, “is it really worth it,” will ensure relevance. Ask yourself; “Is it worth pulling eight people away from their work to sit in this meeting?” “Is it worth hiring a team of marketing employees, when we could hire an agency to do it faster, for less?” “Is our website REALLY going to convert consumers?”
The answer to those questions might be painful, but answer them truthfully. Fried and Heinemeier say it best, “Sometimes abandoning what you’re working on is the right move, even if you’ve already put in a lot of effort. Don’t throw good time after bad work.”
So, the next time that I hear you reason that “we just don’t have the budget” – I’d hope that it’s followed with a good explanation, because I’m going to be asking, “Why?”
*Source: Jason Fried & David Heinemeier. Rework Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Copyright © 2010.
Related posts:
- Time for a Site Redesign?
- Terralever Expands Account Services, Creative Services and Online Marketing Departments With New Hires and Promotions
- Account management basics revisited
- 10 Email Marketing Mistakes That Should Never Be Overlooked
- Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) Announces 2010 Predictions
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Great post Rachael! You make some really solid points – this is something every company should take seriously.