Online Placement Test
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Beware of Analysis Paralysis!September 9th, 2010How to avoid “Analysis Paralysis” – get busy, get effective, get results! One thing I’ve noticed about a lot of my colleagues over the years is how they fall broadly into two groups: 2 and those who think this marketing thing is a good idea… and then actually TAKE SOME ACTION Many people spend so much time thinking about and analysing what they should and shouldn’t do to improve their business, they replace ‘Action’ with ‘Analysis.’ So here’s a foolproof system you can use to kick-start your marketing and avoid the “analysis paralysis”. Believe me, no matter how many good ideas you have swirling around inside your head, not one of them is worth a cent to you until you actually take action on it! 1 Make a list of your top 7 marketing ideas These are the 7 different things you think have the best chance of working for you. Bear in mind you cannot possibly KNOW for sure until you test, so let go of any fear of “failure” you might have. Remember, in marketing there is no such thing as “failure”. There is only a result. And this is why I test small – no more than 1000 mailed pieces to a list and only one run of an ad, until I have some actual statistics on how it performs. 2 Make sure you complete Start working on the first idea and stick with it until you’ve either completed it or you can go no further. Then move onto the next one on your list. The trick here is to stick to the 80/20 rule: if you think it’s going to take you 20 hours at the keyboard to write the perfect copy for your website, the truth is you’re going to have it roughly 80% “right” after the first 4 hours. The remaining 16 hours you work on it are largely a waste of your time, because they’re responsible for such a small return. So, decide how long you think it’s going to take you, and then whatever you’ve got after, say, 25% of the time, you run with it. Get a kitchen timer, set it, and be strict with yourself. 3 Don’t waste time trying to work out whether something will or will not work A lot of people love meetings. Sitting around tables with staff and managers and listening to hours of mass debate about whether a certain strategy will work or not. I’m sure that some of these companies will still be having the same discussion in 5 years time. If they survive that long. Remember, being great at marketing is not about trying to predict the future. It’s about testing new methods and finding what works best. And wealthy business owners know it’s also about finding out what does not work so you can move on to the next approach. 4 Don’t do things one at a time If there are three new things you want to try to get more customers, do them all at the same time. It will triple your effectiveness because you’ll get the results so much faster. We’ve been conditioned to do things one at a time. That’s boring and ineffective. Life’s too short. So take action. Take massive action and do it all at the same time. This will make you so much more effective than the competition. Happy Marketing! |
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Business & Professional English Language Training for Adults in England
