What You’re Testing

Measuring What Matters Most

On any ad you push out there, there are hundreds of variables working for you or against you.

At some point (early on) assumptions need to be made.

Assumptions of how variables are impacting your test so that you can get closer to the tests that matter.

The time of day, the word choice or if you make the logo bigger isn’t all that important to test.

Certainly, we need to make smart assumptions and use what data we already have, but running a test for these variables isn’t as important as running a test on if a story we tell is a memorable one or if one giveaway item was more meaningful to the target than another.

Better still is testing of the target.

What makes them tick? Do the people you’re targeting care? Do they remember you? It might not be the creative, it might be the people you’re targeting.

Reality is the stronger input, the stronger output.

As Seth puts it, “Just because it can be easily measured with two digits doesn’t mean that it’s accurate, important or useful.”

 

Stay Positive & Measure What Matters Most

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If There Was No Reward

The Work Worth Doing

If there was no reward at the end, would you still do it?

The questions begs you to think through the benefits along the way–a series of ups and downs we often overlook for the end result.

What if you removed the guarantee of a higher pay for putting in more hours than those around you. Would you still?

Knowing that your product would never make it to market, would you keep making it for the next 60 years?

Short term gratification and long hauls aside, it’s worth looking at the impact you make by following your passion even if it doesn’t get you what you want in the end.

The people you inspire when they see you being resilient.

The positive ripple you make on the community when you give more than those around you.

Even simply making someone else’s day.

It all adds up.

Not to a big gratifying ending, but to an enjoyable ride for those around you.

Isn’t that what it’s all about, anyway?

 

Stay Positive & Keep At It

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Your Everything

Giving It Your Everything

Life really isn’t that long after you factor in all the time you spend eating, sleeping and going to the bathroom.

That being said, you could complain about how little time there is–that it’s unfair there isn’t enough time to try more things (because there isn’t).

It seems the world wants you to focus on one thing for each area of your life for your entire life.

That’s why there are professions and marriages and passions.

That’s why it takes years to get good at any of them, and no doubt failure will be felt if we try to do too many different things.

With so little time, if you’re going to do something, it’s not just a matter of doing it right; it’s a matter of giving it your everything.

If you’re not in it to be the best, then its best to reconsider how you’re investing your finite time.

It’s not fair, but we need you to shrug it off and give it your everything.

 

Stay Positive & You Can Look Back At Things At The End

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Special Requests

Special Requests

You can make your business open to special requests, embrace them and over deliver on them.

Then again, it’s completely reasonable to forgo them if you’re focused on tightening your time investment, cutting costs and keeping your banal offerings, banal.

In a time where there are commodities everywhere, no one will bat an eye when you don’t offer a special request.

Then again, everyone will look at you with awe when you do.

 

Stay Positive & What’ll It Be For You?

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Apps, Glassware And Successful Organizations

Foundation Focus

There are so many apps on your phone to help you improve your photos, but in reality you’re better off spending your money on a better camera.

There’s a lot of different shapes and sizes of glassware that can elevate your drinking experience, but it’s far smarter to purchase better quality beer.

You have plenty of perks, building designs and software options to help your organization succeed, but nothing will be a better investment than attracting and choosing the right people.

 

Stay Positive & What’s Your Foundation?

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A Training In Empathy

Practicing Empathy

It’s likely rare that a day doesn’t go by that you don’t feel anger or frustration.

Chances are even better that it’s the same for all of those around you.

Next time you notice your temperature rising or a touch of irritance, pause to find it in others.

Two things will happen.

One: You gain a sense of relief. Every emotion, not just misery, loves company and when we start to empathize with others, it makes us more comfortable with the emotions we’re feeling, no matter if it’s sadness or madness.

Two: It becomes about them and when it becomes about them an opportunity arises for you. What can you do to relieve their frustration?

As ol’ Zig would say, “You can get everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want in life.”

 

Stay Positive & Training Starts Now

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How You Talk To Yourself

Thinking Speak

In your head, you talk to yourself 500 times faster than you talk out loud.

And just as quickly, your lizard brain fires up.

That’s what you’re up against every time an opportunity presents itself.

In the past, I’ve written about you having 30 seconds to act before the lizard brain starts feeding you reasons not to, reasons to back down, reasons to pass.

Reality is that 30 seconds is generous.

 

Stay Positive & Act Fast

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