Here is your NoSpin Debunker newsletter for July
2006
Be a
Proactive Pest
"When you get right down to the root
meaning of the word "succeed," you find it simply means to follow through."
F.W. Nichol
Hard to believe that it's now been 5 years of
NoSpin Marketing--tying the longest tenure I've held any "job" (although I hate that word). For those of you who don't know
me, personally from Adam, after 23 years in Corporate America I started out on my own in 2001 to do NoSpin Marketing.
Yes, I had a pretty good reputation, but
back then no one cared what I had done in the past. I was venturing into something that I'd never done before. No clients. No
nothing. Zippo. Just some business and marketing knowledge, experience in several work environments, some contacts, my own wits, and a firm belief in
the value of good marketing--especially online marketing which I think is still in its nascent stage. And if you see the numbers, it is the fastest
growing marketing vehicle, globally, by far.
NoSpin Marketing has not made me rich financially.
That would be nice, but if never, no big deal. It has, though, made me rich professionally and, I think, a lot better business professional and
person in general. It would very, very difficult for me to become an "employee" again after the past five years. I'm optimistic very about the future
and the need for my kind of services. Thanks again to the many people who believed in my NoSpin Marketing idea long ago
when I'm not sure that I had bought in yet: especially some of the early folks, Greg Flanagan, Ken Pitts, and Jerry Pratt, to name only a few.
I believe that I must be doing a few things
right to still be at my NoSpin thing after half a decade. I screw up from time to time like anyone else, but I still learn a ton from those failures
as well as from my
successes. And I love what I do--at least the huge majority of time.
There are a couple things, in particular, that I
think have helped make me successful (and in next Debunker I'm going to talk about something else I could do a LOT better job of...something which
might surprise you). These couple things may seem like plain old common sense, but they are severely lacking in businesses of all types and sizes.
The good news is that there's huge opportunity at every turn IF you live by them:
Follow-up and Follow-through, relentlessly.
I'm updating and reprising what I think was one
of my better Debunkers from three years ago. Read Follow-up and Follow-Through as Primo Business Skills. I defined these intertwined (and sometimes synonymous terms) as:
Follow-up is 1) checking back to make sure that that the next step(s) happens that leads to getting the job (or process or
activity) done and 2) monitoring and reporting on the next step(s) toward that objective(s).
Follow-through is actively taking the next step(s) yourself to get the job (or process,
activity) done.
"Relentlessly" is key to both, and this is
especially true in businesses with any service aspects--with clients, business partners, prospects. If you could encapsulize what clients say about
me is that "Tom continually makes us do what we know we should do (even though it's painful to do sometimes). And he gets us results." Yes,
that's what I do, and I have to continually remind my clients as nicely as possible via email, phone, and in person meetings to do the things they
need to grow their respective businesses.
Five years into NoSpin Marketing, I'm even more convinced that follow-up and follow-through (AKA, "customer service") are a couple of the top
couple differentiators for any business. In my experience, a small percentage of business people, whether they are in sales, product development,
service delivery, customer service or another discipline, follow-up and follow-through relentlessly.
Doctors May Be the Worst
One of the very worst professions at both is the
practice of medicine. Most doctors are simply terrible at following-up and following-through. You're lucky to get a call back or a note within weeks
of having many types of tests--or, if you do--to get any indication what that test actually means. When's the last time you had a doctor (or
even doctor's nurse) call (or God forbid, email) you back and see how you are doing (after being ill or having an operation), ask if the new
medication is working, check to see if you're doing your exercises, following your diet, etc.? Doctors don't even follow-up or
follow-through with other doctors--they are typically clueless as to what's going on with any particular patient outside of their office. And
best case, sometimes you get an automated telephone appointment reminder so that you can make sure to be "on time," and then, of course, you have to
wait while your blood pressure rises...for that "promised" appointment in the horrific "waiting" room.
But they are hardly
alone...
I recently worked with a new business
partner in a web site development project. I blew a gasket toward the end of the project and told them flatly I would never work with them
again. Why? For months, despite all efforts to impact their behavior, they essentially worked in a vacuum for the duration--causing the
project to be delayed and a lot of loose ends to not ever be tied up, and they still aren't!. They virtually never answered a substantive email or
phone call (OK, maybe a couple times after the 3rd or 4th attempt on my part and usually days later)-and
basically did not follow-up or follow-through with me, the other vendor involved, or the client as to what the heck they were ever doing. It drove me
more nuts than the client!
Be a "nice" Proactive
Pest
Implicit in following-up and following-through
are being proactive versus reactive and having honest, timely, substantive 2-way communications. I'm a proactive "pest," when it comes to working
with clients, business partners, and prospects--and just refuse to let people off the hook. I encourage, remind, recommend, and cajole, as nicely as
I can, to get my clients to do the right marketing things in their best interest. And clients should have the same expectations of me. If one of
them, though, consistently refuses to make it a 2-way street and not do their part, then they go on my "life-is-too
short-to-deal-with-these-folks-list." To be an effective proactive pest you need to:
- Be proactive in anticipating needs,
recognizing problems, and finding answers that get tangible results-and not wait until someone else tells you the news.
- Communicate regularly and as
immediately as possible through whatever means works best (usually some combination of email, phone and in person time-whatever works the best)
regarding work requests, project status, issues, etc.
- Never assume other parties-especially
people that you don't know well-- will do what they say without monitoring what they are doing.
- Do what you say you're going to do and
more--and, ideally, before a deadline versus after; beat expectations and do NOT over promise.
- Never assume that your client clearly
knows what you are doing or how you are contributing to their business; they usually don't unless you tell them.
- Acknowledge problems-that inevitably
will arise--and fix them quickly.
Other things being even close to equal (e.g.
professional competence, price of services, etc) following-up and following-through can differentiate you personally in almost any business--and
differentiate your overall business if the large majority buys in. Following-up and following-through are not just the right things to do for
clients, partners and prospects. Doing both will get you more clients, help you keep more clients, and make you more money from those clients
over time.
P.S. I skipped May & June Debunker newsletters.
Please follow-up with me and be a proactive pest if you don't hear from me next month. Thanks
Tom Ranseen
Principal
NoSpin Marketing
615-661-6042
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NoSpin Marketing turns 5!
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