Hey you!
Yeah, you, the entrepreneur.
Stop looking for business shortcuts!
There aren’t any.
A good CRM system isn’t going to close the deal.
Fancy software isn’t going to more actively promote your brand.
New print collateral may answer a question, but it isn’t going to move people to quick, dramatic action.
Automating social media isn’t going to build meaningful relationships, and connect you with human beings on a deeper level.
Good content doesn’t just appear from a magical Google search.
You Can’t Hack The Hard Stuff in Small Business
The hard stuff? Well, it is hard stuff. It requires work. It requires concentration. And I hate to break it to you…
…but it will likely require human interaction. You know, like, with real people.
Every day, I see small business people, entrepreneurs, try to find hacks to things such as learning stuff, getting better at stuff by automation, getting faster at stuff by automation, building trust, building rapport…
Sorry pal, but all that takes time. And human participation.
There’s not an app for that…
Does Tech Hurt Small Business?
There’s no question that modern technology, the social web, and the latest software enables even the smallest of businesses to become global enterprises.
But just because you have access to those tools, doesn’t mean you have to engage on them. In fact, I am making the case that it can negatively impact your ability to run a business.
The more time we spend trying to find hacks and short-cuts, is time we don’t spend time doing the important work on behalf of our customers…is less time we are being creative… is less time we are creating meaningful solutions for our market.
The important work we need to do still involves talking with people, face-to-face. To working hard at creating. Not to mention the hard – but meaningful work of marketing and sales, and interacting with that person on the other end of the phone.
There are no shortcuts in treating people like human beings.
That’s a real person there… That isn’t just a generic entry in your CRM database.
So settle in there, my dear entrepreneur. Prepare to get some dirt under your fingernails. This entrepreneur thing ain’t easy… You might actually have to look some people in the eye…
But then again…that’s why being an entrepreneur is such a glorious existence…
Now get to work…
Shut the Truck Up! There Are More Posts Like This? Yes!
- There is No Friggin’ Easy Button to Market Your Business
- You Need a Business Butt Kicking – Part 1
- Unclutter Your Marketing
About Todd Schnick
I have an acquaintance who is honest about what he can or can’t and will or won’t do. As long as you’re up front about not wanting to do something, he believes that it’s okay for you to not do it.
And he doesn’t want to do networking. But he has a business and a platform to build. More than once, he has approached me and asked me to “do the networking” for him because that is something he doesn’t want to do.
Do the networking? You can’t outsource your networking!!
Thank you Todd for making this point and presenting all the reasons why this and other hacks just don’t work for the personal part of your business.
jeez beth, in all my years of business, i have never heard of someone trying to outsource their networking…
goodness gracious.
i don’t even know what to say.
Beth, your post made me think of something. Todd, I’d like you thoughts on this.
I have met some entrepreneurs who, bless their hearts (as we say in Texas), should not do F2F networking for a variety of reasons: they are poor communicators, they don’t do well in large groups and some who are just generally unpleasant.
I think it would benefit them to “outsource” their networking to an employee or a spouse who is much better at communicating on behalf of the company. What do you think?
two thoughts alicia:
1. yeah, a representative of the company who is deeply involved in the company, knows the products well, knows the culture, knows the personalities…. yeah, that makes a lot of sense. i just think you should NEVER hire someone to do your “networking” for you. someone who is a gun for hire doesn’t carry the same weight as someone knee deep in the company culture…
2. this speaks to another strength of online networking, or social media. you can network with people on FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, and not have to communicate with people face to face, or in large groups, but from the comfort of your computer or smart phone.