I was driving down a major road; I needed to make a left at the next traffic light. As I approached the “left hand turn arrow” turned green.
I put my foot on the gas pedal. I had a green light, the light in the other direction was red. I could go.
A car was heading towards the intersection from the other direction. I had the right of way, everything told me to go but my gut. I stopped and watched as the other car sped through the red light. It would have hit me had I gone.
The rules of the road, sometimes it’s best to ignore them.
How many times in our business do we follow directions blindly?
You are told to implement a specific marketing strategy or follow a plan to grow your list, create a program or sell your services. Or someone may tell you that a certain segment of the market contains your ideal clients and to direct your efforts towards them.
There are many times when listening to, and following, directions is absolutely right and will give you the results you want and expect. I have driven through that intersection hundreds of times and always followed the directions and have always gotten the results I expected.
Yet, there are times when following the directions is wrong at best and at worst dangerous.
Here’s my suggestion to you. Listen to directions. Listen to the advice given to you by others and then put it through your own filter. Ask yourself if following that advice is the best thing for you and your business.
What are you doing in your business that might be “right” but isn’t working for you? I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Insightful points. What is “right” for one business isn’t necessarily the “right” thing for another’s business, and we need to heed our gut just as you did at traffic light. Thank you for this article.
Janis,
I always put decisions through the filter of “What’s best for ME and my business?” It’s gotta pass that test before I do it.
Carrie