Can I do this episode like this?
I think my feet are fantastic. Hey, it’s Marie Forleo and you are watching
MarieTV, the place to be to create a business and life you love. Now, if you ever wonder:
should you quit a project because you’re still not seeing results or should you push
on through because you are this close to hitting it big, today’s episode is for you. This
question comes from Michelle and she writes:
“Hi, Marie. I’m learning a lot from B-School, which is always high praise from a fellow
training professional. Here’s my Q: how can you tell the difference between spending
too much time on a marketing strategy versus being on the edge of breaking through? In
B-School you mentioned that it took almost a year of hosting and posting MarieTV before
you started to get traction. I find myself oscillating between two schools of thought.
Number one, don't cling to a mistake because you’ve spent so much time creating it and,
two, being the diamond seeker who quits just when they're about to strike it big. Would
love to hear your thoughts on when to quit and when to commit. Thanks so much, Michelle.”
Thank you for your question, Michelle, and thank you for being a B-Schooler. Now, before
we tackle your Q I want you to know that we have another awesome episode on this very
same topic that you should watch after this one. Now, if you Google my name, Marie Forleo
“Should You Quit Or Commit,” the Google will serve it up to you. We’re also going
to link to it below on the blog.
Now, since you asked specifically about spending too much time on a marketing strategy and
you mentioned MarieTV, I’m going to answer your question in that context. There are three
questions that you should ask yourself that will help you come up with the best answer
for you.
Question number one is, when it comes to any marketing strategy the first thing you want
to be clear on is what metric are you measuring? So what exactly are you working to increase
or improve? For instance, maybe you’re trying to increase email subscribers or you’re
trying to drive up your sales. Now, obviously, and I know that you know this, having a clear,
quantifiable metric to measure is the fastest and easiest way to tell whether a particular
marketing strategy is working. So you just look at your numbers and if your numbers are
going in the direction that you want them to go, you keep going. And if they’re not
and you see no other benefits to continuing, then it’s probably time to change your strategy.
Now, as for your question about whether or not you could be this close to striking it
big, I can’t get too into the weeds here because, honestly, there are so many different
strategies and variables. For example, if you're spending money on Facebook ads and
you’re not seeing any leads or any sales conversions, then yes. You probably do need
to quit or adjust your strategy. Conversely though, if your marketing strategy is to guest
post on popular blogs and you’ve reached out to a bunch of people and so far everyone
has said no, I say, you know what? Don't give up too soon, because success in business is
often a game of numbers and dogged persistence. So I want you to use metrics and your common
sense to help you decide.
Now, with all that said, what I think is an even more important question to ask yourself
is this: and it’s question number two. Why are you really doing it? So you mentioned
MarieTV and the fact that I had shared I was making videos for probably well over a year
before anyone seemed like they even cared. But here’s what most people don't know,
I had been publishing content on a regular basis since the year 2000, and MarieTV didn't
start until the year 2010. So I had a full decade’s worth of experience writing content
consistently before I started making videos on my webcam in my kitchen. So MarieTV was
less of a marketing tactic. It was actually something fun that I really wanted to experiment
with. It was a way for me to express myself and do something completely new.
Now, over time MarieTV definitely took on a life of its own, but all of this grew very
organically. It was never some big vision that I had, it was just me following this
creative impulse about something I wanted to do.
So let’s take this back to you. If you enjoy creating something or working on something,
there is enormous ROI in that. It’s called creative fulfilment and joy and mental stimulation.
So my challenge to you is to investigate your motivation. What I want you to do is really
peel back the layers and get super honest with yourself. Keep asking, why are you pursuing
this goal or doing this activity or creating this work in the first place, and why is that
important to you?
So no matter what answer you initially come up with, I want you to keep asking yourself
why until you get down to the real deal, that true reason that you’re doing what you're
doing. And once you really understand why you’re doing anything, you’re going to
have the clarity to really make that call about whether you should quit or commit.
And finally I want to cover question number three: what’s the opportunity cost of staying
the course? So in other words, what projects or strategies are you not getting to because
your time, your energy, and your resources are invested in your current strategy?
You know, opportunity cost is a real thing and not something enough people consider when
saying yes to a strategy or a project or goal. You’ve gotta remember this: every single
thing that you say yes to means you’re saying no to something else.
Look, we only get one shot at this beautiful adventure called life, so if staying the course
is keeping you from spending your time and your energy on something way more valuable,
don't feel bad about quitting. Quitting doesn't make you weak. In fact, it can often make
you a winner. You know, sometimes when we quit a strategy or a project or a goal, it’s
because we’re choosing to focus our attention on something even more important.
So the bottom line is, if you answer these three questions, you’re going to know for
yourself whether you should quit or commit. Or as Kenny Rogers says, you’re gonna know
when to hold them and when to fold them.
And that, Michelle, was my A to your Q and I really do hope it helps. Now I would love
to hear from you. So when it comes to a marketing strategy or any long-term creative project,
have you ever felt that tension between whether you should quit or commit? And what helped
you decide? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Now, as always, the best, richest conversations happen at the magical land of MarieForleo.com,
so head on over there and leave a comment now. Once you’re there, be sure to subscribe
to our email list and become an MF insider. You’ll get instant access to a powerful
audio training called How To Get Anything You Want and you’ll get some exclusive content
and special giveaways and personal updates from me that I just don't share anywhere else.
Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams, because the world needs that special
gift that only you have. Thank you so much for watching and I’ll catch you next time
on MarieTV.
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All bets are off. When you start shooting late in the afternoon, it’s just cutthroat
here at Marie – you think we’re all nice and sweet. We’re vicious.
My hootie hoo!
Do you feel a kick coming?
It’s chaos on the set of MarieTV.
Forget about walking on fire. Just catch a t-shirt in your mouth with an air cannon.