CHAPTER 3 | I’M UNDERWATER. WITH EVERYTHING.

Everything. So much everything.

There are 1000 decisions made each day by CEOs, CMOs, marketing directors, and marketing/advertising agencies to devalue the impact of what they’re trying to accomplish.

Did you know that the number one reason why products/services are successful is not quality or price? It’s convenience.

It’s hard to be great, as in quality. That’s the point. Heard any of these?

“Done is better than perfect.”

“Perfect is the enemy of progress.”

“Don’t sacrifice good for great.”

“Progress beats perfection.”

“Momentum matters more than mastery.”

“Better is better than best when best never launches.”

“Great ideas die waiting to be perfect.”

“Perfection is procrastination in disguise.”

So much everything.

Here’s a strategic planning secret: Pick three.

Pick three things to accomplish in a given month. Milestones if not completion. Just three.

Do whatever it takes to accomplish these three things.

Pick three things to accomplish in a year, too.

Whatever it takes means NOT doing the forth, fifth or sixth. Give yourself official permission to redirect your resources.

Giving yourself permission is not an excuse. If the word permission doesn't resonate, think of it in military terms. Take out only three bunkers, not the whole front at once. The three bunkers give you a different position than you had before.

We are all underwater because every single day there is more to consider, a new platform, someone else’s failure or success from which to learn, and ten more things you could do if you chose to do them.

People often ask why there are retainers in marketing, especially public relations.

That’s because there is ALWAYS one more call that could be made or one more email that could be sent. Automation can only go so far.

That is also why you’re most effective with outside counsel whose job it is to keep current, give you the knowledge that’s relevant to your decision-making, and help identify the bunkers.

Prioritization is a skill worthy of note on a resume. The ability to prioritize which tasks, opportunities, and tactics yield the best use of resources (to include your brain) is how you move forward without paralysis.

That is not to say that occasional perfection isn’t worthy. It is. It’s actually glorious.

There is a case, however, for being consistently, in small steps, very, very good.