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The cure for my lazy ass

by ewenmack
5 replies
Back in the day when I was
building up and selling lawnmowing businesses
occasionaly I got lazy.

By lazy I'd stop advertising and rely on existing repeat work
and not get in new clients through the door.

So to cure that I'd make a point of going to the newspaper office
same day every week and place an ad for the following week's 3 publications.

A number of things started to happen...

The phone would ring and I'd have to be on my top game to follow up on those messages.

Or if the phone didn't ring, I'd have to figure out what was wrong with the ad
and fix it so I wouldn't lose money.

Either way, momentum was created and I was forced into action.

And I got out of my own way which would of stopped me from success
had I not made that 1 choice, place ads every week.

Best,
Ewen
#cure #lazy
  • Profile picture of the author Jon Martin
    Interesting point here Ewen on how remaining committed and involved can really play a role in adding momentum to a business or campaign. Definitely a smart strategy for staying productive, I must say!
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    "Be the hero of your own movie."
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  • Profile picture of the author SashaLee
    Hi there,

    Great point Ewen - consistency of action. Well done!

    All the best,

    Sasha.
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  • Profile picture of the author zedsta
    When your running your own business it's not only laziness that is a contributing factor to momentum it's also the time spent dealing with the day to day stuff.

    I work for a consultancy practice & I find a lot of my clients are so busy firefighting keeping everything afloat they don't have time to pursue other areas of the business and if they do they can't give them the time they need to ensure the optimum result - which will ultimately mean lost sales / inquiries / leads.

    Originally Posted by ewenmack View Post

    So to cure that I'd make a point of going to the newspaper office same day every week and place an ad for the following week's 3 publications.

    A number of things started to happen...

    The phone would ring and I'd have to be on my top game to follow up on those messages.

    Or if the phone didn't ring, I'd have to figure out what was wrong with the ad
    and fix it so I wouldn't lose money.

    Either way, momentum was created and I was forced into action.
    I agree those suffering a case of lazyitis will benefit from a proactive approach - we can all be reactive - but that won't increase sales / revenue / profits. I believe setting realisitic goals to attain specific objectives is the only way - nice message Ewen.
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  • Profile picture of the author rodsav
    Good point -Ewin, whatever works to generate revenue and success is what really matters.
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    • Profile picture of the author ronr
      I like how you used the newspaper to force you to take action.

      Back in the dark ages I did something similar. I was putting together an information product I was planning to sell to a niche market. The product was extensive and I was having trouble finally putting it all together along with the sales letter and everything else to go along with it to finally start selling it.

      I ended up taking out ads in several niche trade magazines. There was a long lead time of 60 days before the ads came out.

      I put a big red X on the calendar when the ads would hit. I finshed the project because I knew if I didnt the money I spent on the ads would have been wasted and I would have lost potential sales.

      The project was a hit and it sold successfully for more than 15 years.

      Ron
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