Action and Momentum
I know I don't (if ever) post in the offline section, but I have been reading right along over the past year or so.
I have been in the "offline" biz since before it was called "offline", even had a forum dedicated to it at one point. So I have seen it all and heard just about all the questions, but the one thing I seem to see on a consistent basis is what I call "planning to plan". I understand the need to want to make sure you get all your ducks in a row...but the only real way to figure out what you need is to get out there and talk to customers.
Want to know how I got all of my templates, reports, proposals, etc that I give to clients...? On the fly. When I spoke with a customer and he wanted a stat report on how his current site is....I made one up and now I use it all the time. Same thing with proposals and anything else I do.
I know it may seem haphazard, and to a degree it is, but the time I could spend worrying about how to make something or what cold call template I could use...I could be selling and making $$.
Go out and do something. Then go out and do more something. Talk to people, tell them what you do. I have found that most of the time the people I talk to talk about me...which gets others to call me...which in turn creates momentum. Once you have momentum on your side everything always seems to work out.
the more you are out there the more you will get a feel for what your customers want and are willing to pay for. Hell, if your like me, you will even see an empty void in the marketplace and you'll be able to jump right in and dominate!
But unless you go out and take some form of action, all the planning in the world wont help you. And once you get the momentum ball rolling...it is hard to stop (which is a good thing!!)
I'm not saying to go run your biz like a crackhead going through withdrawals, but there has to come a point when you have to get out and just f'n do it.
There are a lot of people who take action and develop and tweak their biz as it progresses, so this is nothing new. I just get frustrated with those who just keep asking and asking and never go out and apply anything. There is so much frickin money out there just waiting for you, I can't seem to emphasize enough how important it is to go out and talk to people. Whats the worse that can happen? They say "no"? Shit, I have been married for 11 years, I am so used to hearing "no" it doesn't phase me a bit
Action creates momentum and momentum leads to sales.
{hope this didn't come off as a rant, I am, at times, not the most eloquent writer}
~keith
I have been in the "offline" biz since before it was called "offline", even had a forum dedicated to it at one point. So I have seen it all and heard just about all the questions, but the one thing I seem to see on a consistent basis is what I call "planning to plan". I understand the need to want to make sure you get all your ducks in a row...but the only real way to figure out what you need is to get out there and talk to customers.
Want to know how I got all of my templates, reports, proposals, etc that I give to clients...? On the fly. When I spoke with a customer and he wanted a stat report on how his current site is....I made one up and now I use it all the time. Same thing with proposals and anything else I do.
I know it may seem haphazard, and to a degree it is, but the time I could spend worrying about how to make something or what cold call template I could use...I could be selling and making $$.
Go out and do something. Then go out and do more something. Talk to people, tell them what you do. I have found that most of the time the people I talk to talk about me...which gets others to call me...which in turn creates momentum. Once you have momentum on your side everything always seems to work out.
the more you are out there the more you will get a feel for what your customers want and are willing to pay for. Hell, if your like me, you will even see an empty void in the marketplace and you'll be able to jump right in and dominate!
But unless you go out and take some form of action, all the planning in the world wont help you. And once you get the momentum ball rolling...it is hard to stop (which is a good thing!!)
I'm not saying to go run your biz like a crackhead going through withdrawals, but there has to come a point when you have to get out and just f'n do it.
There are a lot of people who take action and develop and tweak their biz as it progresses, so this is nothing new. I just get frustrated with those who just keep asking and asking and never go out and apply anything. There is so much frickin money out there just waiting for you, I can't seem to emphasize enough how important it is to go out and talk to people. Whats the worse that can happen? They say "no"? Shit, I have been married for 11 years, I am so used to hearing "no" it doesn't phase me a bit
Action creates momentum and momentum leads to sales.
{hope this didn't come off as a rant, I am, at times, not the most eloquent writer}
~keith