There is a secret about success that very few people are willing to share.
This secret has been known about for a long time but it has been carefully kept quiet by a few who would like to sell you the idea that it is the reverse.
This secret is the reason why, with a few notable exceptions that prove the rule, Big Brother contestants didn’t go on to make it big.
It is THE thing that makes the difference between successful and unsuccessful people.
You can have the best idea in the world but without this ingredient you won’t get far. It is the key thing behind how to market your business.
It is the secret that you will never be told by countless books and web sites who profit solely from the fact that many people wish this hidden fact was not true.
You know the truth of this secret but many will try to persuade you otherwise.
The simple secret to success is hard work.
The richest people you come across, with the exception of those who have inherited their fortune (such as Paris Hilton), are the most hard working.
Many people have tried to circumvent this inconvenient truth; very few have succeeded.
Many times I am struck by the amount of “behind the scenes”, hard work people have put in. For example, many of the general public think that Matt Lucas and David Walliams had an overnight hit with Little Britain. The truth is both of them had been working hard on a variety of projects prior to this and Little Britain was on Radio 4 for some time before it became a hit TV series.
The same is true for stand-up comics. They have all served an apprenticeship honing their comedy skills in pubs and clubs. This involves a lot of hard work, little pay and phenomenal persistence.
Top athletes are the same. Successful business people likewise. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to success. If there was we’d all be doing it.
If you work hard, there may still be one thing missing: information.
If you don’t know how to do something properly then it is going to take you a lot longer to achieve a poor result than if you knew how to do it. This is what the get rich quick schemes focus on. They want to give you the idea that if you had this information then you’d make a fortune for little work. I have never found it work this way, you always need to do the hard work. You do also need knowledge, ability, perseverance and drive but without hard work you aren’t going to get anywhere.
The trick is to take pleasure in your work. This is something that the most successful people have known for some time. If you enjoy what you do then it is easy, it is a pleasure and you will put in the extra time. After all this is why most entrepreneurs start up their own business in the first place
So the next time you read about a guy who was broke, set up a cheap Internet business based from home and in just six months has made £235,657 and he is willing to share the secret of his success with you for a “low, low price”, think: what did he do that made this possible?
There are systems out there that really do work. The only problem that people have is that they greatly under-estimate the amount of work (and in some cases skill) required to produce the results advertised.
So how does all this relate to marketing?
Good marketing takes hard work and persistence. It is also true that consistency beats creativity hands down every time in marketing. You have to put time into a variety of channels which includes:
Writing:
- Newsletters
- Press releases
- Web site pages
- Articles
- Marketing e-mails
- Sales letters
Producing:
- Flyers
- Leaflets
- Brochures
- Postcards
- Posters
Starring in:
- CDs
- DVDs
- Podcasts
- Webinars
- YouTube videos
Keeping up with:
- Your blog
- Linked-in
- SEO
Getting out to:
- Networking events
- Networking groups
- One to Ones Sales pitches
Few businesses will do all of these but most will be involved in a number of the above; all of which take time and ability.
Some companies try and take the advertising short-cut. Advertising is appealing as you only have to produce one advert and then roll it out. Unfortunately, it is a game that only those with deep pockets can play. For most small businesses, advertising is trying to skip the hard work. It just won’t produce the results you want or expect.
Work on your marketing and it will pay dividends. Ignore it, or just pay lip-service to it, and your business will under-perform and that is guaranteed.
