When we want better results, we tend to first try and do more. Need more sales leads? Buy more media. Need more awareness? Spend more time on PR. Need higher sales? Hire more reps.
Oftentimes, instead of investing in new channels or added expenses, you can manufacture value out of strategies and channels that cost you little to nothing. Investing in SEO and leveraging partner relationships, for example. But these efforts still have a cost. They still require creating something new.
What about making adjustments to what’s already happening (or not happening) to improve performance?
For example:
Use already-written content
Rather than commission a bunch of brand-new content for your drip marketing or social media programs, look inside the organization for what’s already been written and approved. Speeches, event presentations, customer service templates, new customer training content. With a little editing, much of this content could be leveraged in new ways quickly.
Focus on better execution
I guarantee there are sales, marketing, customer service initiatives and more happening, right now, in your organization that are sub-optimized. Emails without a call to action. Customer conversations without a next step, or upsell, or feedback captured. A process that could be done in less time, with fewer people involved.
Say no more often, and do less
Stop tackling more than you can adequately handle. A mediocre project isn’t going to generate results, likely isn’t going to be measured in a way that can help you improve or scale, and isn’t going to allow you the necessary time, attention and energy on the projects that really matter. Focusing on less puts more importance and risk on the smaller list of projects, but if you choose right – and execute well – it’ll be worth it.
Avoid dead ends
There should be no pages in your product that simply say “thank you” without offering something next. No customer or prospect communications that don’t give a recommended next step. Every dead end in your business is an opportunity to engage deeper. So what if most of the audience is done with the primary task. Why not offer more?
