A common complaint I get: Working with you is like drinking from a firehose, actually said as a critique, not a compliment. Who’da thunk giving EXTRA value would be taken as a negative?
That said, it’s true that drinking from a firehose is a total waste of water. Value shouldn’t be measured in bulk. If I can give you a simple solution, I ought not make it more complicated than necessary since there is enormous value in the simplification of complex challenges. Read that last sentence again because there’s profit in it. That said, NOT giving someone the complete instructions, information, details and steps they need to know before venturing off into the wilderness is, I would say, more irresponsible than “overwhelming” them with such details. Heads up: if you wander down THIS trail, there’s a good chance a bear will eat you. Good to know or too much information?
This is the line I attempt to walk every day: how do I give my clients enough to ensure they get the result they want WITHOUT giving them an ounce more. It IS a challenge. Einstein said it best: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but NOT simpler.” Well, he was a genius, after all…
Truth be told, the reason they’re unhappy instead of delighted is that they were hoping for a quick fix…a shortcut…a simple formula to get results. When the answer to their “no growth” problems shows up in work clothes with shovels and picks, it is an unwelcome guest. This brings me to two important insights into why some succeed while others never get a business beyond a million in revenue:
#1: If you are honestly and genuinely looking for success in business, marketing, managing people or doing anything of significance, you must embrace complexity.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m ALWAYS in search of a faster, better, cheaper way to do everything. I take different routes to destinations in my car and use a stopwatch to determine which way is faster. Yeah, weird, but that’s how real entrepreneurs are wired. Even Google Maps will give you the “Fastest Route” over the most direct, and OFTEN they are in conflict. The “most direct” route can sometimes be the slowest. If you’re a true-blue entrepreneur, you WANT to go fast. No one wants the “slow boat” to riches and results.
BUT some routes are long and arduous simply because they ARE. There’s no elevator to the top of the mountain, and to get there, you must CLIMB and navigate over rough terrain, steep inclines and uncharted paths. Through storms and bad weather. You can quickly become exhausted, get seriously injured, run out of supplies and end up dinner for a random mountain lion. Facing all of those dangers, do you really want the quick two-part training of “Good luck and hang in there” or do you want a DETAILED map, checklists of items you’ll need, complete instructions on how to handle bad situations so you have the greatest chance of success?
#2: You have to commit to doing the work.
Yes, The 4-Hour Workweek is a sexy idea, and I don’t fault Tim Ferris for using this “Barnumism” to sell his books. Good for him. But if you truly want to get rich, you have to be smarter than the average bear and see all the authors and gurus selling you “no work” plans for what they are: MARKETING.
Do you REALLY think the top 1% of the wealthiest, most financially free people on this earth got there working four hours a week? Or even 40? The “casual” millionaire? Okay, so you don’t want to be the 1% and simply want to be financially free. You still aren’t going to get there with a “no work” plan. The easy road to riches is a sham. You’d be just as successful chasing rainbows to catch a leprechaun to steal his gold.
Another question I often get is “How much time should I commit to this?” The answer: As much as it takes to get the result. Similar questions are all about how to do the minimum necessary. Can I skip a day? A week? Can I only do the e-mails in this campaign and not make the phone calls? Do I really have to clean the list? Can I run these campaigns using Outlook and my PSA tool and not set up a CRM? Can I turn this letter into a postcard to save money?
These questions are all signals that the person doesn’t want to do the work – and to succeed in business (and marketing), you need to have a “whatever it takes” attitude, being grateful to have the freedom and opportunity to put in the hours, not resenting the work and hours required.
