Maths is contextual
And here’s Rory Sutherland having a better explanation on why even maths is contextual. “We often, when we look at data, we look at averages. Averages are misleading because what matters is variance.” And averages are the common ground. The thing that “fits into the market”. The safe space of the known. Of “what is”. But not of the potential. Variance. Of what matters.
Life isn’t math
You’ve heard (I’m almost sure) that you can do whatever you want to achieve. All of that with formulas on: Exponential growth Compound interest Constant growth Time value 10% of the TAM (Total Addressable Market) Dividing how much money you want in a year and divide it by hours Reach You being in front of “more opportunities” Sending more proposals/quotations Etc. There are more nuances to that. The important thing here is: unlike math, a formula won’t apply to all of the scenarios to bring…
Codifying your magic
To you, it’s as easy and natural as breathing. It just happens. Feels like magic. To others, that very same thing is unthinkable of —or at least VERY, very hard to do. When you codify this magic though, this superpower can be shared with others. When you codify it, you can leverage on it, as nobody else/very few will have it. When you codify it, you stand out. What’s that ONE thing that nobody else can do as you do?
What books
What books are you reading this year? I’m curious to know which ones you find interesting. On my side, here’s my list (so far): Learn Your Lines by Jonathan Stark. What to say when you’re put on the spot by prospects, so that you can build trust and confidence. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. An insight on how Rubin sees creativity. Sales Pitch by April Dunford. How to approach sales from a point of helping your prospects to buy. Regeneration: The Future of Community in a Permacrisis World by…
More is… more
You’ve been told or heard “less is more”. As in the belief that simplicity and clarity will always mean more, by taking off what’s not necessary. However, what if it’s not less, but actually more? More focused More thoughtful More defined More effective More intentional It’s about finding more clarity, more focus so that you can bring simplicity. You get rid of the irrelevant extras. You cut to the chase. And you’re clear.
How do you experiment?
How do you explore… New approaches? New products and services? New models? New content? New ways of working? Do you go there at all?
Experimentation means risk
Experimentation can take MANY ways to achieve MANY outcomes. It requires ways to try new things, and these new things involve a certain risk. How can you get to de-risk the decisions to follow experimentations? Because to experiment, you’ll have to incur into waste. Odds of making a new thing that works in the first try are quite low. So how do you make the process to feel less risky and —hopefully— not get overinvested in the process itself?
Solution- and brand-agnosticism
Look, you don’t need to “reach the 10% of this market/segment”. We can all play the numbers game. Basic math ain’t that hard. You know what’s hard? Taking a stand for something and sticking to it. Finding the ones who actually care about that something. And forget about your solutions —and your brand. Because when you can help them, your solution comes second.
A marketer’s reflux
Is copying others for the sake of “what’s working for other brands” feels like. Is talking about “purpose marketing” when you don’t actually care about shifting the whole system in your business (or whatever “purpose marketing” means). Is saying “you’re the brand, you’re the product”, as if you’re a thing and not a person. That you can be sold/bought. Is pricing based on the costs, as if your clients should care about your cost structure. Is tactics of pressure, FOMO or “scarcity” that we all…
You’re the only one
You’re the only one who cares about their brand. Everyone else is too busy with life to care about your brand. And that’s ok. Because what you need to care about is your customers and how to make their lives easier. You need to know how to focus on the right things to better serve them. To provoke them to think of a different future. A different present. Because once they’re the focus, they’ll build your brand. Not the other way around.
