To outsource professional help or not?
There are rules’ and then there are rules’.
Here’s a must-know rule for every business owner when deciding whether to outsource some help.
Know what you can and can’t do.
Here’s a reminder…
Remember this prayer:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Great businesses have leaders who have the wisdom, do what they can — and get help for the rest.
PROOF IN THE PUDDING
Do you reckon that Nike founder Phil Knight came up with the ‘Just Do It’ slogan?
No, he had the wisdom to hire US agency, ‘Wieden & Kennedy’.
Apple founder Steve Jobs (brilliant as he is) hired agency ‘TBWA’ to come up with the ‘Hello, I’m a Mac/I’m a PC’ campaign
‘NO BUDGET’
Many businesses use the ‘no budget’ excuse that they can’t afford an agency or marketing firm. Sadly (and we see it time and time again) they usually end up wasting money doing things ‘on the cheap’. Their efforts are usually ineffective, or worse – they actually hurt their business.
If they hired professionals to assist on a project by project basis, they could be saving money by working on the part of the business they do best, whilst increasing business with effective marketing tools.
“I CAN DO IT MYSELF”
When you see the owners of a fishing equipment store get into their gear and ask into the camera “Is your tackle as good as ours? ” — does it make you want to buy a new fishing rod from them? Or does it make you want to ask, ‘How can you think that’s a good TV commercial’?
“MY FRIEND DOES WEBSITES”
Well mate, the internet is not going away. It is by far the number-one marketing tool a business needs. Yet STILL we see organizations with websites designed either by their IT department (people good at setting up computers and networks, not websites), by a student, or a mate’s daughter fresh out of college who has a design certificate. It’s not just the cheesy look and the outdated technology that these cheap efforts net you — it’s what you DON’T get.
THE DIFFERENCE
When the Hipfish web-development team works on your website, we bring copywriters, animators, coding experts, graphic designers, and experienced marketing professionals who research your business, your industry and your customer base.
They know what is needed — and HOW TO PRESENT IT.
It may cost more than having your neighbour/cheap alternative do it, but, you’ve heard the story of the barber shop…
A competitor opened up across the street and advertised $5 haircuts, so he stuck up a sign that said ‘We fix $5 haircuts’.
Just like him, Hipfish usually have to rebuild sites that have been done on the cheap.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Sure there are lots of things you can do yourself, but when it comes to marketing, there are some things you can’t do.
And successful organizations and successful managers know the difference.
