Time is short. You work hard and sometimes things just don't happen the way you would like. It’s time to change that.
In every business, there are anomalies that surface. We are often too busy to notice their significance. These anomalies could be the “magic bullet”. Perhaps this one-off is the very thing that could help your organization accomplish more than you ever imagined.
What is your organization’s hotspot? Take a look at those things that have worked really well. You may not have noticed it because it wasn’t in your plan or even in your top ten goals.
Take some time to write out some success points. It could be an article that did really well or it could be a show where presented your product and sales sky rocketed. Perhaps it was an event you hosted that grabbed people’s attention. Take a look at your stats and look for anything that stands out. It matters. It means something is working better than everything else you did.
After you highlight a few items, look for patterns. Do your sales increase at events when people can see the product? Do people engage with your behind-the-scenes stories? Perhaps a social media strategy about a contest you ran did really well? It’s possible you offered a small demo and people loved it, but it’s more difficult to get people to engage in your full program.
The strategy is simple. Work what is working! If people love your demo, then make it the best demo. They are clearly telling you that they like a bite-size version of what you market.
When you give people what they want, they need more.
After you define the things that are working, try new approaches. Invite the very people you are trying to market to, to user-test your work. The big companies do that, why can’t you? Release things that are “mostly” ready. Try small versions and READ your stats. It’s pointless to try new things if you are not getting feedback.
Have you ever wondered how some of the young dot com millionaires are discovering their success? They are not afraid to take an unfinished idea to market. They see something that works and toss it out to the public. If it sticks, they develop it further. If it doesn’t, they toss it.
WORK what works! It’s your hotspot. Accelerate it! Your customers are telling you something. Listen and respond.
by Karen Schenk