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A good friend of mine had moved out to Australia a few years back. He was able to buy a little over 1,000 acres in the outback and had always wanted a private lake. He rented a bunch of tools and equipment but was getting more and more curious as to why many of the people he was telling his plans to were getting smiles and shaking their heads no. It wasn’t until he got his back hoe started that he realized why everyone was laughing at him.
Australia has some of the hardest bedrock on the planet. It is so hard that someone can spend an hour with a jackhammer and see less than an inch of penetration. Gold prospectors have often left large amounts of gold because there was little chance of getting through impenetrable layer of rock.
After two days he realized there was no way he would ever achieve his goal alone and so he employed some men who said they could make the lake for him much quicker than he thought was possible. He had a business trip so he gave them the layout of what he wanted the lake to be and would be back in one week. He was shocked when they told him it would be done before he got back.
When he arrived back he was completely amazed at what he saw. There in the middle of his ranch was a beautiful big hole ready to be filled with water. He was so impressed that he drove two and half hours to find the guys who had pulled off in a few days what he felt would never be accomplished. The men explained that they drilled holes at very strategic angles along the perimeter of the lake. Once finished they filled each hole with explosives blew into the rock so that it split right where they wanted it.
This may seem to be little to do with business but on a warm summer day the story became a great analogy for me.
Charles came into my Sacramento office because he was having a hell of a time getting his business off the ground. He explained to me his IT business would set up accounts with companies who would pay him on a monthly basis for his services keeping their computers running at peak efficiency.
The problem was that he couldn’t seem to get anyone to just go for his monthly packages. His prices were competitive and his skills were quite good, but nobody ever seemed to bite. His frustration was getting to the point where he was contemplating going to work for another competitor. One of his clients suggested he call SIA Professional Services and talk to their marketer.
I generally have a one page business summary filled out by anyone who is looking for marketing assistance. This allows me to look at their business, including what they do, what they don’t do, and the different types of marketing they have tried in the past. The summary I received on Charles let me know that he was steering away from the residential group, focusing in on monthly contracts, and had tried a large variety of marketing avenues over the past few years.
What never ceases to amaze me is how many people will try the same thing over and over and wonder why the end results don’t change. In Sacramento, I have found many people who will continue the same forms of advertising, marketing, and sales; yet still be amazed when the same mediocre results are repeated. I do believe the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting different results. Yet once again, here was someone trying to break through a hard market with tools that just don’t handle the job.
By the time Charles came to my office I was more than ready to explain to him how to make some strategic moves to get his lake filled. Instead of going after people for complete contracts, Charles would offer computer analysis at a price that would barely cover his time and gas. By doing this, Charles would be able get in front of prospective clients and show his abilities by optimizing a single PC. He would then offer his services for the other computers in the office and offer the monthly service contract which would save the customers money and time in both productivity and convenience.
Too many times I hear clients say how they are always looking for that big account that will move them forward and propel their business to some sudo iconic status. Fickle business owners do not often open their doors to just anyone unless they see a need. So coming to them with the right tools is a solid way to gain more business, even if the potential customer didn’t see the need to use dynamite instead of a back hoe in the first place.
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