Adam’s Daily Post

If someone walks up to you and says:

“Hey you, I’ve got delicious cookies, but I won’t give you any unless you give me some money”

…You’ll think to yourself, “Okay that was weird, keep walking, don’t make eye-contact, they may find it threatening.”

If someone walks up to you and says:

“Hey you, I heard you liked chocolate cookies from that store there, so I got you some, just paying it forward y’know?”

…You’ll think to yourself, “Uhh, this person is awesome, man the world isn’t as bad as I thought it was, there are still some good people out there, I want to know this person.”

Same cookies each time.

Different delivery model!

Nobody tracks our losses, except ourselves when our mindset’s all wrong.

And by ‘all wrong’, I mean unhealthy, unproductive, and unworthy of listening to while in that mental state.

So if anyone DOES track our losses, they’re operating from that same place…

…unhealthy, unproductive, and unworthy of being listened to while in that mental state.

Worth remembering.

Slow down.

Like running your hand over where you’re about to draw on a canvas, pen in hand, before actually making the stroke.

Trace-trace-trace the movement, then make the stroke… in one go.

That stroke will look so much better than merely attacking your canvas with lots of little strokes, leading to an amateurish, unconfident mess.

The negative space — the lines of nothingness — are what make the actual work shine so bright.

If you want definite, sure-fire results, copy everyone else and get definite, sure-fire mediocrity. It’s the surest thing out there.

But if you want to stand out, be great, and build something wonderful? There’s some risk to that.

And that’s okay. You only have to be right once.

“The best” is something parents think about their children and, if we’re very lucky, vice-versa.

But the market wants us to be “specific”.

The best thing we can do is be specific. About what the value is. About what they’ll learn. About how it will entertain them. About how it’s thoughtfully crafted just for them.

It’s better at being the best than trying to be the best is!

Something that helped me a lot, is to think of “notes” differently.

Notes aren’t adding to your plate, ‘things’ to keep track of or action or even remember.

Notes are “R&D”.

Companies do R&D. They invest in R&D all the time.

Notes are your personal and professional R&D.

Not to be remembered or actioned… but to facilitate exploration, to see if interesting new ideas pop out.

And if they do pop out, they’ll reemerge as themes, thanks to the note taking and your subconscious playing nice together.

They’re not tax deductible, but they’re mental weight deductible — you feel lighter each time you do it, if you remember it’s not another to-do list.

It’s just R&D.

Some think that “hard work” is so you can later be “hardly working”.

But “hardly working” isn’t the goal.

It’s an opportunity to create space for you to amplify the buyer experience far beyond what it is today.

It’s an opportunity to invest in providing abundantly more value and enjoyment for those you serve.

It’s an opportunity to listen more intently, uncovering insights to “make their day” far beyond their expectations.

It’s an opportunity.

If you feel tired of marketing

Remember:

• It’s supposed to be hard, like most worthy things
• Be where your users are, not where’s trending
• Give them value +how they enjoy receiving it
• It’s OK to quit if you’re in the wrong place
• It’s OK to take breaks whenever you like

Don’t be bullied by platforms or peers.

Make great value & deliver it in ways your people enjoy.

You’re in control, champ.

Not all marketing is created equal.

If you find yourself working on…

• Another abandoned intent email
• Redeeming bounce rates
• Struggling for ROAS
• Fighting low CTRs

That’s not working hard.
That’s making work, hard.

Consider instead working on…

• Listening to customers more
• Making what they actually want
• Making it fun for them to experience

That works hard, for you.
(Even when you’re hardly working)

Isn’t that better?

Your customer decides these things:

1. What ‘valuable’ means (what they’re looking for)
2. What ‘useful’ means (what solves the problem)
3. What ‘fun’ means (how they enjoy consuming)
4. What ‘great’ means (what quality looks like)

If you decide? You fall short or waste time.

If they decide? You earn new customers.

Tough choice, huh?