One thing that is common amongst small business owners is to “sweat the small stuff” when it comes to creating marketing messages and advertising for your small business.
Unfortunately, it’s all too common for a business owner to try to “micro- manage” their marketing messages. Long ago in the early days of my business, I had a client who was so obsessed with the micro details of her website that it took us 9 months to create the opening page of her website. We spent WEEKS moving copy “a bit” to the left and then “back to the right”. We spent even more time moving through the pallet of colors to arrive at the “perfect” shade of red.
We didn’t TEST the copy – we didn’t TEST anything. We just kept shuffling chairs on the deck of the Titanic.
This video is a great “tongue in cheek way” to illustrate what I’m talking about:
However, the absolute most MADDENING part of my experience with my micro-managing client was that in the end – it turns out she was absolutely TERRIFIED of rejection. As a result, she REFUSED to do anything to promote the business around which we had created this one page website “masterpiece”. (Trust me – it was NOT worthy of 9 months of blood, sweat and tears.)
It still pains me to this day because the idea – the FOUNDATION of her business was truly BRILLIANT! She was definitely a pioneer.
I think part of what may have taken the “wind” out of her “sails” was that during the 9 months of painstaking web development – another “competitor” appeared on the scene. He obviously wasn’t sweating the small stuff because when you’re travelling at 100 mph – you don’t NOTICE the small stuff. His website was full of typos – but he obviously wasn’t afraid to launch it. He was definitely a “big picture” kind of guy and in this case, the race went to the swift and not the careful.
My client went on to work with another developer on creating the other 3 pages of her website. After 9 months – I’d had all I could bear and more. But I think of her every time I hear about her competitor’s successes with his parallel product.
Are you sweating the small stuff when it comes to your business? Are you fussing over font styles instead of fussing over conversions?
Hey Kathy, great post. It is so often that when I’m working with a client or helping out a friend, that a lot of people are really afraid of rejection (like you say). The thing that they are missing is that you have to get your site or idea out there and start making mistakes. Yes, mistakes. You learn more from mistakes than you do your successes, wouldn’t you agree?
I agree that you DEFINITELY learn more from a single mistake than you could ever HOPE to learn from a string of successes! Most “failures” include an autopsy. Most successes don’t. The thing is, I don’t know of a single successful business owner who hasn’t tasted failure at least once – and some multiple times.
Kathy, fantastic article. I really appreciate all the effort you went into making this post. I appreciate it. Great read!