I see this frequently.  It’s the Perfection Syndrome and it can bring a company’s marketing to its knees. 

Business people allow themselves to lose inertia and become paralyzed by the idea that if their marketing plans are flawed — even minutely — they cannot move forward.

I’m here to tell you that, more often than not, timing trumps perfection.

I’ve seen a lot of sub-par marketing efforts do tremendously well because they were well-timed.  I’ve also seen terrific marketing efforts tank because the timing was off.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you slap something together just to take advantage of a great moment, but it is important not to allow yourself to fall into a pattern of waiting too long.  Not only will your morale suffer if you do, but your bottom line won’t look so good, either.  And no one wants that!

1.  How would you rate your marketing plan?

2.  How effective is your marketing?

3.  How up-to-date are your marketing materials?

Though I’d love to hear you say “9″ or “10″ for each of these questions, I’m going to guess that your actual number is a little bit lower.  And that’s okay… as long as you make the decision to do something about it!

Marketing is one of those aspects of being in business that has a tendency to get away from you, especially during the summer months.  That’s why September is the PERFECT time to take a comprehensive look at all your marketing items, from blogs and websites to brochures and logo-emblazoned giveaways.

Don’t wait.  After all, your strongest competitor isn’t.

As an entrepreneur, are you getting a paycheck every two weeks, every month or any other time? Or are you simply continuing to put everything back into your business and only pulling out money for yourself when it’s absolutely necessary?

Though many people fall into this kind of trap, it’s a bad idea and not a long-term solution at all. If you’re making any kind of a profit (and if you aren’t, it’s time to rethink your sales and marketing plans), you need to start paying the top dog - YOU!

How much should you give yourself as a salary? It all depends upon a number of factors… which is where the help of a virtual CFO can come in handy. A virtual CFO will assist you in making sure that the paycheck you receive is fair without hurting your company.

Remember - taking a paycheck isn’t selfish. It’s a smart business move.

* * *

A smart landlord in this situation would take the following steps without hesitation:

1. Sit down with each tenant individually.

Explain that you are trying to sell the property AS a rental/investment property that’s already fully occupied. That will ease their minds if they’re worried they’ll be evicted by the next landlord.

2. Discuss how you would like them to keep the property while it’s being shown.

Don’t be too demanding, though. For instance, is it important for beds to be made every day? Or for all dishes to be cleaned and put away asap? Make your desires very clear.

3. Determine how they’re going to know when a showing will take place.

Are you going to call them? Text them? How much of a lead time will they get? Can they be on the premises or not while a prospective buyer is walking through the property? These are all questions they’ll have.

4. Continuously tweak this process as you go through the sales cycle.

And ask for feedback from your tenants! They might have some great insights into how you can sell their property AND they can wind up with a great landlord.

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Does that statement sound like one you could make?  Then it’s time to stop talking and start doing!

I know, I know… you don’t have the time, the money, the resources, the whatever.  But I’m here to tell you those are all excuses!

If everyone waited until there was enough time, money, resources or other stuff, no one would ever move to a new house, get married, start families, open a business, etc.  Instead, we’d just leisurely sit around in rocking chairs on our porches discussing ad nauseum what we WOULD and SHOULD do… but definitely won’t.

I’m not saying that your “great idea” is going to be a success, of course, because I can’t predict that.  Who knows?  It could flop miserably.  (Hey, the same thing happened to Walt Disney a few times before he got it right…)  Still, if you don’t go for it, how the heck will you find out?

People rarely end their lives by saying, “I wish I hadn’t…”; instead, they typically say, “I wish I had…”  Keep that in mind and make your next bold move!

What would happen if you celebrated something weekly?  What if you found something to be positive about every 7 days that was related to business but wasn’t necessarily something over-the-top? 

If you were to celebrate the small successes (or just something important) on a weekly basis, it would enable you to:

♦ Have something to tell the world about on Twitter or Facebook.  (”We hit 45 comments on our latest blog post this week!  It’s a new record… and we want you to help us do better next week!”)

♦ Boost morale around the office, especially if the weekly “celebration” is something funny or light-hearted.  (”Joan is the winner of this week’s ‘Salesperson to Receive the Nastiest Customer Phone Call’ award.”)

♦ Keep you focused on the positive.  (”Sure, it was a tough week… but the good news is that we got more hits on Facebook than we’ve had in three months and we started a new PR campaign, so things are looking up!”)

So… what will you and your team celebrate this week?

In my line of work, I can wait to blog every few days and send a newsletter every week or two. Unlike a news outlet, my information doesn’t change hourly. I realize that and so I use social media to stay connected, but not to inundate my readers with STUFF.

Unfortunately, there are many companies that haven’t gotten that message yet. Those places practically spam their customers and prospects with daily “news” that isn’t really news at all.

In order to avoid becoming a pest, you need to use social media to your advantage. And that means you have to keep a few factoids in mind:

1. Social media success happens over time. Be patient. You can’t send out 100 tweets today and expect to be a success by tomorrow.

2. You want to build real relationships with your social media contacts. Don’t just “collect names”. You can have 1,000 fans on Facebook and not one of them may be really reading what you write. Develop true partnerships and make sure you reciprocate.

3. Spam is hated. It really is. So stop spamming. Always ask yourself, “Would I want to receive this information?” If the answer is “no”, you might want to rethink your strategy.

4. Oh, and that brings us to the point that you NEED a social media strategy. If you’re just blogging, sending out newsletters, and doing Facebook updates “when you feel like it”, you’re not taking advantage of these powerful marketing tools.

There’s nothing wrong with hopping on the social media bandwagon. Just make sure you pay your dues or you’ll be seen as a hobo just riding the rails!

Check out this quickie insider look and let me know if any of these types of “Internet surfers” describes you…

1.  You Jump on Social Networking Sites First!

You value relationships and don’t want to lose connections with others, whether in a personal or professional sense. 

Strengths:  You’re great at communications and staying on top of the “social scene”.

Challenges:  You may tend to get emotionally caught up in everyone else’s drama.  And that can lead to poor business decisions.

2.  You Look at Popular Local, National and World News Sites Pronto!

You’re the type who could probably name the people in charge of even the most obscure countries.  (After all, there ARE no obscure countries to you!)  You’re up to speed on the news and often “break it” to friends and colleagues.

Strengths:  You have a terrific perspective on society and the politics of the day.  This gives you some “insider” knowledge that sets you apart from competitors.

Challenges:  You may struggle as an entrepreneur to make real connections with people who don’t share your love of all things news.  It’s as if you don’t speak the same language.

3.  You Check Out More Hollywood/Gossip Sites Than Anyone Could Shake a Stick At!

Before you justify your actions, know that there isn’t anything intrinsically wrong with seeing what Perez Hilton has written before getting to work.  It’s just your style.

Strengths:  You probably have the ability to join any conversation, especially the day after American Idol is picked or something particularly shocking happened on CSI!  That makes you the “go to” person for the trendy gossip of the day.

Challenges:  While you know exactly how many kids Angelina Jolie has, you might not be as up to speed on the ins and outs of your business.  You have to train yourself to become interested in the non-dramatic, too!

4.  You Head Right for Information on Your Field!

You are the type who has immersed him- or herself in one chosen industry, and you’ll be doggoned if anyone knows it better than you!  That’s why you seek out as much info daily as you can… including on the competition!

Strengths:  You are seen as a leader in your field because you know so much.  This helps you make connections and win opportunities to speak at events or “guest write/blog” pieces.

Challenges:  You’re so absorbed by your own industry that you tend to think only on those terms.  Thus, brainstorming could be particularly difficult for you because you think only of what’s already been done, not what COULD be done.

5.  You Have No Set Surfing Habits — You Let Your Mood Dictate Your Clicking!

You’re a true “free spirit”, roaming the Internet at will!  You’ll just as likely visit StyleList as you will ParentDish or the Wall Street Journal! 

Strengths:  You have a wide variety of interests and are able to synthesize information quickly.  You take from a range of knowledge bases.

Challenges:  It may be tough for you to focus on your career for any length of time because you tend to get so bored!  You have to learn how to keep everything feeling new!

So… which are you???