I couldn’t believe what I was hearing
A fellow participant on a business call earnestly asked the facilitator:
“When your ads stop working, what do you do to fix them?”
Certainly a reasonable question, as I expected a helpful answer.
“I shout at him… No, I don’t really… Actually, ya, that’s exactly what I do.
I shout at my ads guy until he fixes them.”
I mean, How insane is that?!
And why oh why is it always an “ads guy”?
I have so many clever female counterparts out there… Ah well.
I’ve been on the receiving end myself, so perhaps I’m not shocked.
First off, I get it.
People want consistent results.
But shouting at “the ads guy” will not help in that mythic quest.
So let’s start with the basics:
There is a deep frustration here on the part of the business owner shouting.
But this person needs information and understanding,
Not a violent vocal workout.
One. Shouting never helps and doesn’t work.
Here’s what I’ve discovered:
If someone shouts to resolve issues in their personal life,
They’re likely to do the same in their business roles.
And also possible: Some folks believe that to achieve in business,
They need to shout, even if they never would personally.
Two. If there is frustration, something is unclear.
If ads have stopped working,
Or more likely,
Most people are new to ads and don’t know what to really expect,
Or equally likely,
Many people expect fast and easy results where more care is required,
Frustration is the immediate response.
Clarity is required, because it’s always more complex than people realize.
Three. Just ask a question.
No shouting needed.
This is a more fruitful, helpful, and connected response.
Four. Fear holds people back from asking the real questions:
“What if I don’t understand the reasons?”
“What if I can’t figure this out?”
“What if I need more resources to solve this?”
“What if it’s a bigger issue?”
I get it, it’s scary, all the What Ifs!
But that doesn’t change that in tech,
What works works, and what doesn’t… does not work.
It has to be addressed on its own terms.
In the early days of my business, I grew solely by referral.
I inherited so many insanely frustrated clients from other agencies.
They’d tell me:
“This is the worst. They keep telling me that my ads are doing great,
But I’m getting such bad results. It doesn’t make sense.”
So I helped them make sense of it.
There was a good reason they were being told that,
Because the ads were in many ways working quite well.
But those other agencies and “ad guys” were not helping the clients
Connect the dots between ads results and ultimate results.
Because I lead from Service,
I was willing to take the extra time, care and attention
To help people connect all the various dots –
The strategies, marketing 101 misunderstanding, the options –
And help them up level everything aside from their advertising,
So that their ads could ” really work” as well as they wanted.
This is exactly why I created my new brand,
Golden Ring Marketing.
We’re addressing all the missing links between Advertising –
With its own rules and requirements –
And Marketing, which is often why advertising isn’t “working”.
Plus you’ll see that I’m even more specifically working with a different crowd.
Golden Ring Marketing serves
Thoughtful, considerate and kind business owners…
You know, the ones who wouldn’t even think of shouting
More specifically, I’m called directly to serve
Introverts, creatives and other sensitives like myself.
So if that is you: Come on up!
Come forward.
Because this is literally just for you.
Check out Golden Ring Marketing here.
And remember,
It’s honest to express your frustration, and that’s ok.
There are likely some missing pieces,
And there’s guaranteed 100% more to the story than you ever expected.
Just. Ask. Your. Question.
Keep it simple… and kind.
50 Weeks Of Giving!
As we celebrate World Teacher’s Day, we celebrate Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.
Supporting music in underserved public schools, this org provides instruments and grants to those who otherwise might never discover their gifts, or the arts in general.
Share the gift of music with them here.