My seven- year-old daughter is obsessed with Frozen. She’s even talked my five-year-old son into becoming a fan… so much so that he was once Olaf for Halloween, two years in a row (bless him). As if her Frozen fandom weren’t enough, I must say, Elsa’s “Let It Go” anthem is a mantra for me in many of my business endeavors.
So often we think about business goals and what we need to DO to achieve them. The system looks something like this: Long-range goals–>short-term plans–>monthly goals–>weekly goals–>daily to-do lists. Gosh, us businesspeople are GOOD at this system. But what if I told you that in my marketing practice, I firmly believe it’s only HALF of what you need to succeed?
It’s true what they say that a “goal without a plan is just a wish.” Action plans are definitely important. But I also believe that inaction is just as important. In other words, what will you NOT do to get closer to your goals?
We all undoubtedly have a system for creating and achieving to-do lists. Usually this involves some sort of ranking daily tasks into categories like “must-do,” “should do” and “would like to do.” However, do we have a “will not do” list?
I can’t tell you how many times clients don’t know why they are taking certain marketing actions. Honestly, sometimes I don’t know why I am taking certain marketing actions. It’s easy to fall into a rut of, “I’ve always done this so I still should.” But…
What if the metrics are flat?
What if the product is not serving ideal customers in the best way?
What if framework has extra, unnecessary steps in it?
When do we decide to cut things from our marketing that aren’t serving us? The answer is that we often do it too late. We often do it after we’re working so hard to achieve our goals, that we eliminate a dead task out of necessity… but not after way too many wasted hours on said dead task, program, or initiative.
So here’s my challenge to you… will you start putting a “don’t do” column next to your “to do” list? This might require some thought. This might require some outsourcing. This might require some tradeoffs. But imagine your most important goals, and what tasks will help you move in a straight line toward them. Then start removing things, one by one, that don’t fit on that straight line. This is your inaction plan.
We can all get into ruts. It took GM a significant amount of lost profit before they realized their Oldsmobile brand was simply dragging the company down. By making an inaction plan, you force yourself to spot red flags that aren’t directly contributing to your revenue goals earlier.
I’d love to see your “don’t do” lists as you think through your marketing goals. Show them to me by sending them to [email protected].
