While I am not endorsing gun violence with this subject line, I am reminded every day (when I take my shirt off) of a “surgical adventure” in 2021…with my abdomen looking like I got into a knife fight…and lost. ☹
Which brings this idiom front and center:
…bringing a knife to a gunfight…means you are very badly prepared, lack the right tools, or are totally outmatched by your opponent in a serious challenge. Flipping it to “bringing a gun to a knife fight” implies an overwhelming, lopsided advantage where you are excessively overprepared.
I’ll take overprepared please.
Today I want to share marketing lessons from my hospital knife fight, in the spirit of the great John Carlton, who says ideas are all around us and everything is a blog post waiting to happen.
That is, you’ll never run out of ideas if you are mindful of the world around you.
And scars (whether literal or figurative) make you mindful for a long time….sometimes forever.
What I came up with are “three pacifist guns” that enabled me to win many “marketing knife fights.”
Here is a 16 second video clip that is a visual representation of why bringing a gun to a knife fight is incredibly helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQKrmDLvijo
I couldn’t get that image out of my mind as I stared down at my navel (and abdomen) after surgery…and that’s how I came up with today’s subject line.
So…if you don’t like it…shoot me. 🙂
You may have noticed in that clip that it only takes one gun to win a knife fight…but I have three “guns” I use in similar situations–not as violent but more powerful–and only deadly (in good ways) when it comes to return on investment with my marketing dollars.
And then there was this cartoon sent to me from a good friend (and superb marketer), Michelle Falzon, from Australia (more from Michelle later too):
Birthmark or not, you never have to be a victim in the operating room…OR on the marketing battlefield.
A quote I’ve used before from Winston Churchill applies here:
“Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result”
And to make sure that happens, I want to share the three “weapons” I suggest you take with you into any marketing battle.
GUN #1: Knowledge (and eventually wisdom)
The preparation to do battle…whether as a patient or as a marketer…requires laying the groundwork for success…and as you might expect, knowledge (and research) is power.
With the surgery, for example, I researched doctors (rather than hospitals or techniques) under the premise that a surgeon who has performed hundreds—even thousands—of my surgery, is a much better doctor to put a life bet on… rather than someone who has performed dozens.
The litmus test: When the surgeon opens me up, no matter what might be going on with my situation, he or she has seen it before.
The same is true when planning a marketing project or product launch of any kind.
Marketing done wrong is “death by a thousand cuts” which happens when you jump in too soon…then you “overstay your welcome” in the project…with the wrong players executing.
But it doesn’t have to be that way when you plan your entrance with your exit at the same time.
One of my mentors, Gordon Grossman (the architect at The Reader’s Digest in the 1960’s and 1970’s), said it best about testing something new:
“Your only mission is to find out if you have a business”
What does that mean?
Test only what you need to test to determine if there is something viable or not; and do it slowly going in…and don’t keep reinvesting in it if you can prove it’s a dog.
And with the right planning in advance, you can control how much blood you want to leave behind.
You will shed a lot less blood this way since wishy washy marketing projects with no clear objectives (and no sense of the key metrics you need to meet on your way in) is a knife fight you never want to be in.
And the longer you keep saying, “I’ve already invested so much I can’t give up despite lackluster results” the closer you will get to death by a thousand cuts—rather than cutting your losses and consider the project as a sunk cost (rather than turning it into part of a sinking ship).
You also need to run scenarios as part of this “knowledge creation”—at least three (low/average/high) with everything you test—and determine what your “go/no go” decisions will be going forward based on actual vs. projected results.
The analogy in hiring:
“Hire slow/fire fast”
And this search for knowledge in marketing up front includes personnel in addition to the nuts and bolts of the project itself.
Despite being more of a “hire slow/fire slow” kind of guy when I staffed and ran Boardroom’s marketing department, when it came to marketing projects, I was (and still am) laser focused on hiring a la carte for specialists…only the gold standard in every area of marketing.
Just like I would never leave elaborate surgery to less than an expert surgeon, leaving your list segmentation, media buying, offer creation, design and copy to anyone but the best of the best for each area for each element of the project will lead you down a long road of misery.
In fact, when you look at a marketing project as having “multiple expert surgeons” (I hate one stop shopping), you will get your best possible result up front and scale the project further and faster…or get out faster because you know you gave it your best shot out of the box.
GUN #2: Peacefulness
If you have ever researched anything about “preparing for surgery,” many of the “tips” coincide with things like eating a low sugar, plant-based diet with no smoking and regular exercise…you know, things that work for you all the time. 😊
Another thing that works for you all the time—and I believe it is one of the “big guns” you can take into surgery and marketing—is to always be peaceful.
Michele Falzon, my buddy from Australia who sent me (now us!) the Gary Larson cartoon above, said it so well in reference to this concept of peacefulness through surgery and marketing:
I think there is a link between “attitude” in both scenarios. The positive attitude and open, relaxed posture when applied to marketing is all about wanting to know and understand others and being empathetic and connected… all the things that lead to wanting to do the research and, ultimately, increase your “survival” rate.
I will add that there is data on surgical patients, who move themselves towards a more peaceful state before surgery, connecting their mind and body without letting stress and anxiety ruin the party in their brain, and have significantly better outcomes than folks who are all worried with no peace.
And surgeons can tell when they are working on a more “relaxed” (i.e., peaceful) body than one that is more stressed…with makes their job easier.
I’ve always found this fascinating…and it kind of makes sense.
This is easier said than done. And I confess that I was not as much in this state for my surgery as I would have liked…but do as I say and not as I did on this one. I certainly tried to be as peaceful as I could.
My goal was to “present my body” to the surgeon in the most relaxed posture possible, to do whatever he needed to do with it-without my help or interference.
My singular role was to surrender to his expertise. Frankly I wish I could have done it even more.
In marketing and business, I always submit to a more peaceful business with superstars executing on everything.
That isn’t the same thing as being totally hands off…just confident you have the right marketing surgeons executing your plan, so you don’t have to micromanage in areas where you are not the expert.
For example, having a business that is “launch upon launch” (one after another)–or a constant fire drill–is not only not fun, it’s not built to last either.
There isn’t any one way to make launch-to-launch, fire drill businesses, into peaceful businesses that are built to last…but I have some suggestions:
- You can’t rush peace in marketing…every project/launch needs a longer runway (Stu McLaren, a launch expert has this nailed…because he’s not only about the runway for his launches but he’s all about runways in every aspect of his business). Whatever your current runway is today, extend it…not to procrastinate…but prioritizing speed over effectiveness is never a good idea.
- Also with a nod to Stu (one of the world’s leading membership experts), adding memberships, continuities, subscriptions into your business are the key to a more peaceful business…one where everything is not a “one-shot”…but an ongoing revenue stream which sells by delivery and quality rather than hype and chaos.
- Think multi-channel and you will always have choices in media…which will always allow you to choose a different kind of “piece” … of mind.
- Dare to Prepare: How You Win Before You Begin, is not only a wonderful book written by 40+-year baseball executive Ron Shapiro, but the title sums up what it means to have a truly peaceful business. And it’s a good read and game plan not just from a sports angle but from a business angle–Ron interviews folks such as wine guru Robert Parker, investment legend Bill Miller, pianist Leon Fleisher, Goldman Sachs partner Lisa Fontenelli, firefighter Ann Marie Tierney, in addition to sports legends who dare to prepare like broadcaster Bob Costas and player/manager Willie Randolph.
- And again, hire a la carte, and hire the best in each specific area.
This “peaceful gun” has some legs.
Gun #3: Capital
While having money is always a good thing in any endeavor in health or business—and for major surgery that also means solid health insurance—the capital I am referring to here is “relationship capital.”
I’ve spoken about it incessantly over the years and in my book, Overdeliver.
I got the phrase from my legendary mentor Jay Abraham…and it’s the “capital account” that has no relevance to the stock market or investing.
It’s about investing in contributing to others to connect deeply with them.
And when done correctly, it compounds exponentially.
Frankly, if you put a gun to my head (pun intended) and forced me to choose which of the three guns to bring to a knife fight (surgery or marketing), I would have to choose this one…I guess that’s why I listed it third? 😊
It’s #3 because it envelops #1 and # 2.
If you make regular, deep and sincere deposits into your relationship capital account over many years, the knowledge you need for anything is somewhere in it…as are all the clues to being more peaceful.
That’s why I see little difference between “major laparoscopic surgery” and “full contact marketing” in terms of how you use this heavily diversified account.
It’s all about having access to the deepest thoughts, prayers, support, resources, ideas, partners, vendors, referrals…and the beauty part is that no one helped you build it because it is all your unique construction.
But remember to make many more deposits than withdrawals…which makes the withdrawals so much more valuable.
And by deposit, I’m not talking about adding friends from Facebook or LinkedIn to your account.
You make deposits by contributing to your assets first. Deeply.
In closing, I’d like to make one more “withdrawal” from my relationship capital account from Michelle Falzon, who summed up this post simply and succinctly:
This message from you is, in it’s very DNA, exactly what you are talking about… you are finding content and ideas and wisdom in an experience you could have done without – but you’re here – so you may as well make it good 🙂
It’s another flavor of Carlton’s advice to pay attention to everything going on around you as a lesson to write about…and another flavor of Jay Abraham’s “getting everything you can out of all you’ve got.”
It’s not a way to exploit my health issues for anything but lessons learned, lessons I love sharing with my online family.
Hopefully you find some of it useful or insightful in some way…and no pity party please.
Consider it a deposit in my relationship capital of which you are a big part as well.
And the knowledge and peace I received at the time of the surgery (now 5 years ago) from many of you (and others) got me through a difficult time…and of course has led to multiple marketing applications.
This post is one of those.
I received another summary from my good friend, top online/social media expert Kim Walsh-Phillips.
Her take was more succinct than Michelle’s…well, Kim is a social media expert so that makes sense:
I am so flipping happy you are on the other side and leveraging your illness for writing content. All is right in the world.
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. How is your “relationship capital account” doing?
Is it the star of your portfolio?
Are you making regular “deposits?”
Receiving compound interest?
Here’s an idea to give your account an immediate jumpstart…with interest…
My live event mastermind, Titans Mastermind, folded its tent in 2023 after an eight-year run…24 exquisite live events…with legends galore as speakers and members.
It was time to grow Titans Xcelerator (TXL)…which I have…from zero to 250 members…with a renewal rate over 70% after folks have been with us for two years.
Both were awesome rides.
And TXL is still going strong.
But TXL was missing something.
That is, connecting beyond squares on a screen.
Something IRL was needed.
So, before I folded Titans Mastermind, I opened up the last two meetings (at a fee) to TXL members…which was a revelation.
Not simply because it forced the Xcelerator members to wear pants (a negative of a live event vs. Zoom 🙂 ) …but it emphasized why a “return to real” (nod to Ryan Levesque) is…well…real.
Those who experienced the live events became anchors and leaders within Titans Xcelerator…and those live events encouraged me to do one-day events and dinners for TXL (in Connecticut, Florida and Arizona) over the past two years.
Which has now led to a two-day event this October…on the 22nd and 23rd…in Greenwich, Connecticut (near New York City)…which you can attend whether you are a Titans Xcelerator member or not.
Note that your registration fee and attendance include a one-year membership to Titans Xcelerator…because while you will come for the information, you will stay for the inspiration (i.e. connections, resources, lifetime friendships).
You can’t do all of that in two days…stuff like that takes a lifetime…and at a minimum, two days plus a year. 🙂
However, if you simply want to attend the event and not join TXL at the same time, email me and we can adjust your registration fee.
By attending, you will be hanging out with the most giving marketing entrepreneurs on the planet and building your relationship capital in a perfect environment.
With legends of direct response…world class copywriters…launch experts…multi-channel media savants…with decades upon decades of experience.
The best-of-the-best of the “Original Gangsters” (O.G. ‘s) and the “New Gangsters” (N.G. ‘s).
Being able to hug as many members of my online family as possible at this event is the goal…I hope you will be one of them.
It will be intimate (under 50 people in the room) …full of 12-minute Spotlights, guest speaker presentations, mini-hot seats, discussions about direct response marketing and personal development (aren’t they the same thing?) …and contributions at the highest-level yielding connections for a lifetime.
Relationship capital building at its finest…in real time.
My record of bringing together the best minds in direct response marketing speaks for itself…or not if you haven’t been paying attention. 🙁
The best minds with passion, heart and smarts.
Click here and plan to join us.
Or email me if you have any questions.
If you email me I promise to give you a spoiler alert (or two) on who is coming. 🙂