Why you won't be successful in offline marketing

23 replies
I'm just going to put it right out on the table (since when do I pull any punches anyway?).

There is one huge reason why you will not be successful in offline marketing.

It's not about not knowing all sorts of techniques.

It's not because you can't slick talk someone into a deal.

It's because you aren't passionate about what you're doing.

You aren't on fire about helping a business owner grow their own business.

You see this business as an easy way to score some cash without actually trying to work all that hard.

You're in it for a few bucks, and that's it. You're not there for the long haul.

Heck, there was even a topic from someone a while back who had the guts to admit that they didn't want to be in it for the long haul... they just wanted to score a few bucks and move on. At least he had the honesty to admit that.

But without the real passion, there's nothing there to drive you through the lean times... the sales troughs... the tough parts of building a business - things like tight cash flow... cost overruns... failed delivery from outsourced resources... fried hard drives with no backups... you know... all the friction that comes along with running a real business (and living life).

If it's not fueled by passion, then it just becomes another job.

And unfortunately, that's exactly what happens to a lot of entrepreneurs.

They might start out with the passion and fire... but are quickly pulled from being the visionary into the role of babysitter. Operations management is a much different animal than thought leadership and evangelism. It's a friction-laden business with lots of frustration and mundane systems that just do the same thing over and over... day in and day out.

Sure, those systems are extremely important. You cannot build a sustainable business without them. But failing to account for who is actually going to run those systems is a major hurdle as you build your business... and eventually becomes a bucket of water that will douse the fire in many passionate entrepreneurs.

You might be winning business by undercutting competition's pricing. You might be satisfied on tighter margins because you're doing a bunch of the work. You might eventually even think that you're super successful because you eventually just manage the whole thing instead of doing all the tactical work. But if you're not actually profitable enough to hire operations managers, the time you need to spend researching your craft and fueling the fires as the passionate visionary will get tighter and tighter.

So you see... even if you do start out with a blazing bonfire of passion and vigor... how you build your business can eventually dampen the flame.

And if you don't really start out with that passion to begin with?

Well... good luck with that.
#marketing #offline #successful
  • Profile picture of the author thehypnoguy
    If you want a good example of what Michael is saying just watch any episode of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares

    Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author Ant Marshall
    Too right Michael.

    People who come to IM & OM these days seem to think they have found an easy way out of doing any work for the rest of their life. Most of these people are sheep and they will all walk about in the same herd, not really trying hard at anything.

    If something fails, they just give up. What a crazy crazy world. If something for me fails, I find out why it failed and move on with something else. I've learnt lessons from 'failing', that's a gift of life.

    What differentiates us from those sheep is the mentality to actually take action on thoughts that come and go through our minds. I hear some people say things like.. "Oh there should be a website with so and so.. I'm always looking for something like that". Then you should be researching it and finding out how you can get it done. Not waiting for someone else to do it for you.

    If you want anything in life, you've got to grab it by the balls and take it. It's better to be a somebody for a day than a nobody your whole life.

    As Nike say.. Just Do It.
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  • Profile picture of the author thehypnoguy
    Well Anthony you hit it on the head of what makes a true entrepreneur. Now if you start a business, fail, lick your wounds and get a job, mumbling I just wasn't cut out for it, your not an entrepreneur. True business owners say that wasn't successful and then start on the next plan for what will be a success. Unfortunately, it makes us look like loons to the 99% who spend all their time telling us to get a job and quit trying to be more than they think we should be.

    If there should be a website for that I go build one. Of course being a programmer makes that easier

    Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Cho
    I love it! You're a brave man...

    I really wish people were more up front about offline marketing like you are.

    Just like getting a six pack, it takes a lot of dedication and work. And if they aren't passionate about it or motivated, it'll be like an uphill battle or driving with an emergency break on.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kristabelle
    Its scary how so many people dont have that passion for the work. Some of us are work-a-holics, but we just dont know it as we love what we do. Totally true chris, getting a six pack isnt just about the excerise, its about the food and your choices every day. With many successful business' ( womens only fitness start up which sold extreamly well ) under my belt and then being online also with ( what I call a semi ) successful business its not got to be about "work" but its about the passion and drive to make the entity of the business get life into it. A business is like a small life.. its starts needing nurture, love, support - then you send it into the world to get beaten up and come home again to be fixed up and go out again until it becomes the bullie in the play ground and doesnt get beaten up.
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  • Profile picture of the author wanjugu
    This is very true,the main reason i joined inbound marketing is because am passionate about the internet.It really amazes me.My mum is impressed that i can work on my sites at home on my dads laptop,then i can work on them in a cyber cafe in my home city and am still able to contune working on them in my apartment in Nairobi City.
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  • Profile picture of the author SubUrbanHype
    Well that can go with any field I believe. You're always going to get people who are mostly in it for the money. You think people would still be flocking to Med & Law school if they got paid a teachers wage? Not even. The ones in it for the money usually end up hating their jobs in the end.
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  • Profile picture of the author brookman12
    Definitely agree with you there Michael. Most people fail people they are just looking for the latest opportunity to earn fast cash but it doesnt actually exist and they get frustrated an work away. Starting off in niches that you are genuinely interested is a good way to start so then you know you have the passion and knowledge to promote the product.
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  • Profile picture of the author pennyking
    yeah but isn't that the whole point of any business? Who wants to be a wage slave?

    You see this business as an easy way to score some cash without actually trying to work all that hard.
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  • Profile picture of the author pennyking
    I beg to differ on many of these comments. I am in any biz to make big money as fast as i can....I do not have to love it nor do I wish to work in it all day. Just my honest opinion.
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    • Profile picture of the author White80
      Thanks for the post Michael,

      I think your right about passion.

      Just take a look at someone like Gary Vee - a great example of a passionate entrepreneur.

      Joe
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      • Profile picture of the author Eduard Ruppel
        Well actually it's quite good that so many people don't have the passion for it. Because the people who have will benefit from it in the long run. The people who are here for the quick cash. They try one method after an other, they just scratch the surface but don't go deeper. So once they scratch the surface and no results are coming.

        Than they just quit and go to the next one!!

        Which is good for the real Intenet/ offline marketers.
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      • Profile picture of the author SeanyG
        Originally Posted by White80 View Post

        Thanks for the post Michael,

        I think your right about passion.

        Just take a look at someone like Gary Vee - a great example of a passionate entrepreneur.

        Joe
        This is also a great example of someone who's business model consistently kills his flame! Gary is always on the verge of burning out.
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    • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
      Originally Posted by pennyking View Post

      I beg to differ on many of these comments. I am in any biz to make big money as fast as i can....I do not have to love it nor do I wish to work in it all day. Just my honest opinion.

      And you're certainly entitled to your opinion! That's what makes the world a great place.

      You also clearly don't understand what it takes to build a real business. You're a quick buck artist looking to make your score and move on. You're looking for the lottery ticket. Las Vegas is built on the dreamers. Meanwhile, the casinos themselves are full of real systems, real processes, etc...

      And the irony is... you're the real wage slave because the moment you quit your street hustle, your income stops.

      You didn't build a real business. You don't have an asset that works for you. You can't turn a game of 3 card monty into a sustainable business without those processes and systems to run it.

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      • Profile picture of the author sitefurnace
        [quote]
        Originally Posted by MichaelHiles View Post

        And you're certainly entitled to your opinion! That's what makes the world a great place.

        You also clearly don't understand what it takes to build a real business. You're a quick buck artist looking to make your score and move on. You're looking for the lottery ticket. Las Vegas is built on the dreamers. Meanwhile, the casinos themselves are full of real systems, real processes, etc...

        And the irony is... you're the real wage slave because the moment you quit your street hustle, your income stops.

        You didn't build a real business. You don't have an asset that works for you. You can't turn a game of 3 card monty into a sustainable business without those processes and systems to run it.
        I find your comment incredibly condescending.

        Firstly, successful businesses are created in all kinds of ways by all kinds of people - not just the way you think.

        What makes you the authority on the subject anyway - to the point where you can openly accuse someone of "clearly not Understanding what it takes to build a real business" you don't even know the guy...

        Theres a lot of "self proclaimed experts" on this forum that seem to take no hesitation in telling every one how it is and "laying it out on the table" as though they're doing everyone a massive favour.

        Maybe you should take a lesson in how to be more humble - it's a much more endearing quality
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  • Profile picture of the author SeanyG
    Originally Posted by MichaelHiles View Post

    how you build your business can eventually dampen the flame.
    You're whole post is spot on but this sentence is SO True.
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  • Profile picture of the author SeanyG
    Michael, I'm like a lot of people on here. I am just getting started and I want to be able to outsource the work. Why? Because I love working with people and managing "workers". I also LOVE meeting other entrepreneurs and learning about their businesses. Building and managing relationships is my top strength.

    In my past businesses working with and managing people was the part I enjoyed most. It would be my ideal business to just do the strategy with clients and then manage my service providers.

    In past businesses I had problems getting to the point where I could outsource the work. I was able to build an incredible team around me but rarely had enough cashflow to outsource the work that drains my energy. As a result i would burn out, my flame would be gone and I had zero energy for strategic planning and creativity.

    Do you (or any readers) have any advice on starting from the beginning - already with an awesome team of outsourcers- in offline consulting so that I (and others) aren't doing all of the grunt work and burning out?

    Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    I have built my entire career around just doing the strategy and then managing the managers of the service delivery.

    Notice how I phrased that because that's step #1.

    It starts with your pricing and profitablility. If you're only thinking about how YOU are going to eat when you plan your business and price your deals, you'll never have enough margin to build a structure that can afford a project manager to oversee the entire process on your behalf.

    That mentality has to be built from the very beginning or else you will have a hell of a struggle trying to bridge the gap.

    It's like the mom and pop restaurant owner. They manage their first place and build their financial model around themselves being embedded within the business. Which is great until the point and time they realize they must expand locations in order to grow.

    All of a sudden, the new business can't necessarily afford the manager, they don't have the processes, etc... so they start to subsidize the losses of location #2 out of the profits of location #1.

    Eventually the whole thing sinks.
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    • Profile picture of the author djemerald
      Originally Posted by MichaelHiles View Post

      I have built my entire career around just doing the strategy and then managing the managers of the service delivery.

      Notice how I phrased that because that's step #1.

      It starts with your pricing and profitablility. If you're only thinking about how YOU are going to eat when you plan your business and price your deals, you'll never have enough margin to build a structure that can afford a project manager to oversee the entire process on your behalf.

      That mentality has to be built from the very beginning or else you will have a hell of a struggle trying to bridge the gap.

      It's like the mom and pop restaurant owner. They manage their first place and build their financial model around themselves being embedded within the business. Which is great until the point and time they realize they must expand locations in order to grow.

      All of a sudden, the new business can't necessarily afford the manager, they don't have the processes, etc... so they start to subsidize the losses of location #2 out of the profits of location #1.

      Eventually the whole thing sinks.

      Yikkes, it's the truth. You have to do it yourself first or the passion and understanding isn't there.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    Micheal,

    I recently had a Skype conversation with a guy who bought GPscraper back in February when I first released it.

    I asked him how he was doing and he said, he has been working on getting offline clients on and off since buying GPscraper.

    First thing I told him was, that you can't approach your business with the on off mentality. Its not fair to your clients and its not fair to yourself. So before I can go any further with helping you in the selling aspect you have to understand that and either be ON or be OFF, so which is it.

    I'd also like to point out that I do tout the one call close mentality and pitch but one thing I have not really touched on is a core element that makes for a great closer, and that is....

    PASSION ABOUT WHAT YOU DO
    AND
    WHO YOU DO IT FOR!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
      Originally Posted by Rus Sells View Post

      Micheal,

      I recently had a Skype conversation with a guy who bought GPscraper back in February when I first released it.

      I asked him how he was doing and he said, he has been working on getting offline clients on and off since buying GPscraper.

      First thing I told him was, that you can't approach your business with the on off mentality. Its not fair to your clients and its not fair to yourself. So before I can go any further with helping you in the selling aspect you have to understand that and either be ON or be OFF, so which is it.

      I'd also like to point out that I do tout the one call close mentality and pitch but one thing I have not really touched on is a core element that makes for a great closer, and that is....

      PASSION ABOUT WHAT YOU DO
      AND
      WHO YOU DO IT FOR!!!
      Rus, before I invest in a company, I gauge the level of passion and commitment that the founder has for the business that they're in.

      I've taken a pass on writing checks to invest in what some other contemporaries insisted were great ideas. Sure, they were great ideas... but it was apparent that the founding management team wasn't as passionate about their business... in some cases had 2 or 3 other businesses going on the side.

      So I simply said "no thanks", while a couple other investors dumped some pretty big money into deals that eventually ended up hitting the skids because of lack of focus. Their loss, not mine.

      I guess that's why I am qualified to make these kinds of comments. I create asset value while others create craters. I don't buy into the BS that people delude themselves into believing. I know what creates a company with $500 million in sales. It isn't 3 card monty.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
        Michael,

        How the founders feel and act about their business does flow down to all the people they employ so once again we are looking at the foundation the house is build upon. This is essentially what your doing!

        500 million in sales, isn't 500 million just about at the cut off point for receiving a SBA loan? Or another way to put it is, the SBA stops considering an entity as a small business once it passes the 500 million mark.:p



        Originally Posted by MichaelHiles View Post

        Rus, before I invest in a company, I gauge the level of passion and commitment that the founder has for the business that they're in.

        I've taken a pass on writing checks to invest in what some other contemporaries insisted were great ideas. Sure, they were great ideas... but it was apparent that the founding management team wasn't as passionate about their business... in some cases had 2 or 3 other businesses going on the side.

        So I simply said "no thanks", while a couple other investors dumped some pretty big money into deals that eventually ended up hitting the skids because of lack of focus. Their loss, not mine.

        I guess that's why I am qualified to make these kinds of comments. I create asset value while others create craters. I don't buy into the BS that people delude themselves into believing. I know what creates a company with $500 million in sales. It isn't 3 card monty.
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  • Profile picture of the author attorneydavid
    reasons people fail in offline marketing

    1. Won't do the work and pound the pavement.
    2. Undercapitalized
    3. Don't know what they're doing and have like ethics and stuff holding them back since they can't deliver value this is related to 2 above as if properly capitalized you could do your own local business for practice.
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