To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.
– Marilyn Vos Savant
So, I mentioned last week that I would share about the “Big Water”–when my newly-adopted children saw the ocean for the first time last week while we were in Hilton Head…well, it was pretty incredible–and interesting as a tiny little case study in human behavior, and in marketing.
See, our house is about 100 yards from the beach, down a little path, and as we reached the crest of the dunes, little Caleb started squeezing my arms real tight-like. Clearly, he’d never seen anything like it. “Look at the watuh, Daddy!!!” he screamed. (yep, the English is coming along 🙂 )
Well, and then we got to the edge of the water, and Caleb wouldn’t touch it. His little face was bunched up in fear. I didn’t want to overly-frighten the kid, so I picked him up again into my arms…and I held him as he sort of quivered. We walked in, and I let the waves hit us a couple times, and then I knew that was probably all my little guy could take.
(Eden, on the other hand, bounded right into the waves. Yes, she’s smaller than her brother, but this is just one of the instances where we can clearly see that despite her size, she *is* two years older.)
Now, bear with me here, because I’ll get to how this speaks to your business in a moment.
So…the next day, I brought Caleb back out to the ocean, but there wasn’t any fear in his eyes anymore as we got out there. I suppose that being in Daddy’s arms yesterday had given him a measure of security.
So, I put him down in the shallows…and the waves start coming. “It’s coming, Daddy!!!” Yes, it was…and my boy got knocked over by the first one. I quickly pulled him up, expecting tears–only to hear some of the most delighted giggles I’d heard from him all week.
From that point forward, Caleb LOVED the “Big Water”. I still carried him…but we went deeper and deeper, and the waves got bigger and bigger–as did the laughs. Oh, it’s one of my most precious memories yet with my boy–now home for six weeks.
Here are my beauties on the last day, at play at sunset…
Alright, enough gushing…why do I write about this experience in such detail?
Simple–it’s a parable of what it’s like for the tax business owner…dipping their toe into the marketing water, and being a bit scared to shell out their hard-earned revenue for something of unknown future.
It sure helps to have a guiding hand while you’re there–or even somebody to completely hold you [do it for you]. And, more often than not, the first few “waves” knock you down.
But then you get back up–stronger [armed with more knowledge for what works]–and with a better eye for how to approach the waves [position your business and your marketing properly].
And, marketing your practice online is a BIG WATER, believe me…sharks and sting rays and jellyfish, of sorts, abound. I woudn’t trust my firm’s online presence to the “cheapest” option, if I were you. You need a boat that floats–and gets you somewhere you want to go.
Now, I’ve already gone on for a while–in what’s normally an introduction to the “meat” of my weekly note to you–so, I’ll leave you with some pithy encouragement for the weekend…and get back to delivering some more detailed strategy for you next week.
[Of course, as I mention above, TODAY is the day for delivering some fantastic *no charge* content for you on our monthly Members Only call.
Go here for details, and put your information in there to get access…
www.BuildaHerd.com/Dale ]
So…my Strategy Note for you is short and to the point this week.
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Nate Hagerty’s
“Profit For Life”
Tax & Accounting Business Marketing Strategy
Marketing Wisdom
* Don’t let one little wave keep you from “surfing” with the big boys
* Test, test, test
* Walk with a knowledgeable guide
* Don’t you freaking give up.
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That’s enough for now.
Until then, God bless you–and your firm!
Nate Hagerty