[Today’s post is part of the Spin Sucks Scavenger Hunt. Details at the bottom.]
What would happen if you failed?
Would it set you back? Would it hurt your business? Would it cripple you?
We all set goals and build strategies for our companies, but most of the time the stakes aren’t very high. Missing a sales target or a product launch might be embarrassing, but it really doesn’t hurt that much. It’s just a number.
That lack of risk is a problem, especially if you want to make a demonstrable impact with your business.
Big Goals are transformative. Achieving a Big Goal has the power to change the trajectory of your company, but missing that goal comes with equal risk.
What Would It Mean To Fail?
Writing Sticky Branding was a Big Goal for me, and the risks were high. If the book flopped I probably wouldn’t be writing this article today. I’d be getting a job.
Let me put this in context. In November I confided with my friend Gini Dietrich (who I also hired to help me launch and promote the book),
“I am finding myself in a weird state with the book launch around the corner. It feels like my future is resting on something rather inconsequential, a book. And I can’t tell if it’s any good or if it will have any impact. It’s almost easier to think about contingency plans at this point.”
Her response meant the world to me,
“When Marketing in the Round was published, I said the same thing to my mom. It feels so weird. She said, ‘I know everyone in your world writes books, but out here in the real world, being a published author is a BIG deal.’
You don’t need contingency plans. Everything you do should be focused on its launch. It’s a fire that has a long burn. You’ll have a fun launch week and then it’ll go quiet for a bit and then it’ll pick back up. You’ll see. You won’t regret it.”
Gini was right. The book launched to rave reviews, it’s a bestseller that beat Oprah, but more importantly it is transforming my business.
But if it fell flat … yeah, that would’ve crippled me and my business.
Put Everything On The Line
Big Goals aren’t gambling. You’re not rolling the dice and hoping to get lucky. You are making deliberate choices and strategies to transform your business.
But for the goal to be transformative you have to put everything on the line to achieve it.
The iPhone is a great example of this. Phil Schiller, Apple’s global marketing chief explained, “There were huge risks [with the first iPhone] … We had a saying inside the company that it was a ‘bet the company’ product … We were starting to do well again in iPod … Then here we’re going to invest all these resources, financial as well as people, in creating this product.”
Today we see the iPhone and its impact. But imagine the anxiety in Apple prior to launch in 2007.
If you’re not putting everything on the line to achieve your Big Goals, you’re not pushing your company far enough.
It’s you ANDÂ …
Big Goals that transform your company are not solo-ventures. Accomplishing Big Goals requires a team and their support and guidance.
This is a philosophy that’s baked into my business. For example, my holding company is called Jair&. It’s me ANDÂ …
I view marketing as a collaborative industry. To make an impact you need to surround yourself with the best and brightest people to help you achieve your Big Goals.
That’s why I hired Gini and her team to help me launch my book. She launched her second book, Spin Sucks, very successfully and sold thousands of copies. Her company’s blog is the most popular PR blog in the world, she’s a sought after professional speaker, and she’s doing a lot of the things I aspire to.
I didn’t have to go it alone. I could ride in Gini’s wake, learn as much as possible as quickly as possible, and plug into a team that could help me achieve my goals — which they did.
Who is on your team? Who can help you accomplish your Big Goals? It’s you AND … ?
Bet Your Company To Transform Your Brand
Break free of the confines of your industry. Bet big.
You’ve got to challenge the status quo and do something remarkable. You’ve got to put it all on the line to transform your company.
What is your company going to do to shake things up and make an impact? How will you bet the company to transform your brand?
Spin Sucks Scavenger Hunt
This post is part of the Spin Sucks Scavenger Hunt. Gini and her team are celebrating the one year anniversary of Spin Sucks (the book), and they asked me to help.
The secret word for February 23rd of the scavenger hunt is above.
Join the fun. Order a copy of Spin Sucks before March 4, 2015 and email a copy of your receipt to iboughtspinsucks@armentdietrich.com. They will send you a little package of Spin Sucks awesomeness (who doesn’t love free stuff?) Plus it’s a fabulous book. You can view my review on Amazon.
