I admit it. In certain areas I’m a perfectionist. And it’s often not a useful attribute to possess.
Needing perfection can cripple results. Why? Because you want everything to line up before you start – which it never does. So you don’t start.
Or it’s not good enough to get out there – just needs something more to be done.
Sure, there are lots of areas which mandate perfection. I wouldn’t want a surgeon doing 80% of the job when operating.
But marketing and selling isn’t one of those areas.
It’s far better to take action and get your message out in front of your audience than wait for the perfect business card, brochure or website.
Like it or not, marketing is a game of intelligent guessing and testing. You try things out to see if they resonate with your audience.
Use the 80/20 rule. Your marketing material needs to be effective, not perfect. Big rocks first. See if people positively respond. Then keep testing and tweaking to improve.
All too often people are crippled through indecision. They can’t decide on a design for a brochure, card or website. Or what they should be saying to their prospects.
As a result, nothing happens. Customers who may well buy are never given the chance to do so because they’ve never been exposed to your message.
And yes, I’ve been guilty of this. But no more.
I’m working on my own mindset of progress over perfection. 80 to 90% is generally good enough to get excellent results. Perfection follows the law of diminishing returns.
So if you’re stuck in this mode, check your mindset and make a decision to move on.
And if you’re still having trouble, pay us and we’ll push you along. There is nothing quite like external accountability. And if you pay, you’re more likely to take action.
Call us on (02) 9499-7958 if you want to banish the perfection trap.
Rashid & Barbara.
