Show up for Success

by Harry Hoover

Published on this site: September 18th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

Your minister of the church of marketing has some words for you to ponder today:

If you want to succeed you must show up. Woody Allen has often been quoted - incorrectly - on this subject. What he really said was, "80 percent of success is showing up."

He was not talking about making a cameo appearance or a movie walk-on. He was suggesting that being there fully focused, giving your best effort and doing it on a consistent basis is the formula for success. Allen knows that most people just try to phone it in. And even then they don't follow through every time, nor give it their all.

Friend and client Brent Dees says it another way during his Focus Four business coaching sessions. "Do what you say you're going to do and do it on time. This applies to everything you do in life, from being an employee, a father, a business owner or a friend."

Let's consider it from a marketing perspective. I have written and distributed my e-newsletter monthly since April 2002. That's 52 issues and counting.

Every month, rain or shine, I worry about what to say that will most help my readers in their businesses. Researching the subject and the links follows. Then, writing, editing and newsletter layout come next. Finally, I distribute it and then respond to any reader questions or requests. It takes roughly eight to 10 hours of my time each month and that is really cutting into my naps.

Do I ever want to take a break? Silly question. But this newsletter is my primary awareness vehicle. Every piece of business I have landed can be traced back to the newsletter in some way. Consistently getting it out at the same time each month has paid off for me.

I think about what the president of window blind giant Levolor once said to me, "we can't afford to do everything from a marketing perspective. But what we do, we can execute violently."

The bottom line here is this:

Pick a few things and execute them to the best of your ability on a consistent basis. That's showing up. Dothat and 80 percent of success is yours. We'll discuss the other 20 percent later. But right now, I need a nap.

Harry Hoover: Is managing principal of Hoover ink PR. He has 30 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Bank of Commerce, Brent Dees Financial Planning, Focus Four, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, Velux, and Verbatim.