The Principle of Execution [Part 4 of 6]

This is the fourth post in series The 6 Unspoken Reasons Internet Marketing Gurus Are So Successful and today we are going to cover the Principle Of Execution.

You can read the other five reasons by following the links below:

  1. Part 1: The Principle of Sustained Hard Work
  2. Part 2: The Principle of Networking
  3. Part 3: The Principle of Salesmanship
  4. Part 4: The Principle of Execution
  5. Part 5: The Principle of The Basics
  6. Part 6: The Principle of Timing

I love watching singing shows like The Voice and American Idol. Not just for the music, but because of something a little more subtle.

I enjoy the transformation of each contestant as the show progresses. Many start out with self-styled haircuts, department store clothes, a untamed natural talent and a quiet demeanor.

But as the shows progress, we watch a metamorphosis. We watch their hair styles change, their clothes reflect their new personal style, their talent channeled and refined by the coaches, and their confidence builds each week as they get used to speaking and singing to a national audience.

This transformation from an artist who sings to a handful of people to millions is quite a journey to watch. At times it’s hard to watch, sometimes heartbreaking, but mostly exhilarating to see each artist refine their skill and build a following of fans.

What makes this process so beautiful is you get to see a group of people follow their dreams each season. You see them execute a predefined plan the show has created for them to become famous. The program is well structured, but the artists are not. Many are very rough diamonds that need a lot of work.

All the contestants are at different stages of their careers. Some are seasoned professionals, others have only performed to family, but all get to execute their plan. There are mistakes, tears and embarrassing moments, but they all keep executing.

Some do better than others. Some get record contracts; others get more gigs and others just get to say they were on The Voice. But all get much, much further than before they were on The Voice.

What we watch is the Principle of Execution. The ability to get started. Knowing you aren’t ready to start. Knowing you still have a long way to go. Knowing you’ll make mistakes but will also advance, become better, make adjustments and continue forward.

Execution is a skill I see in many of the highly successful internet marketing gurus. They are masters at executing their imperfect strategies. Strategies that still need work. Knowing full well that they will make mistakes, but realizing that mistakes are vital to achieving success.

Consistently executing their strategies, making changes and running new campaigns, is the real SECRET SAUCE! Not some magic tactic that only they know.

Athletes know this.

What is the difference between an amateur athlete and a professional? It’s all in the training. Their execution is their training. The athletes who train the most and play the most games, typically become the best players. They are executing more than the other athletes.

It’s the same in the internet marketing world. The marketers who are running the most campaigns, trying new strategies, testing and making wise decisions based on the data they receive are generating the most leads and sales.

Execution is the key to the success of the internet marketing gurus.

There are a few keys to being able to execute consistently and efficiently.

1. Just do it

[mk_blockquote style=”quote-style” font_family=”none” text_size=”12″ align=”left”]“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”
― Mark Twain[/mk_blockquote]

There is not a lot of value I can add to this point as I think Nike has said it all before in so many ways

The only thing I can say is it is not just for athletes. The slogan “Just Do It” is also for marketing and sales people.

Every day you must get up, and determine to “Just Do It!” Learn the strategies, do your research and then execute that campaign.

2. 50% is good enough

My name is Marlon, and I am a perfectionist. There I said it. The first step to overcoming your problem is to admit you have one.

Perfectionism is an issue for me. It stops me from executing at times because I want the logo perfect, the landing page copy just right, the email sequences completed and the webinar images to tell a complete story.

But none of these are necessary. 50% is good enough. Cobble something together and run your first campaign. You will learn more from an executed campaign than all the planning you can do.

I can spend weeks building a campaign until I think it’s perfect, but when I finally run it, it may only be 20% better than a campaign I can put together in a few days.

Why? Because until I get feedback from prospects, most of my assumptions will be wrong.

Getting the campaign into the wild ASAP should be your #1 priority. Feedback is more valuable than planning.

3. Learn by Experience Not theory

Experience will take you much further in digital marketing than theory. Theory is good but is limited. In today’s technology-driven marketplace any strategy older than a few months is probably already out of date.

The best way to combat this is to learn a strategy and implement it immediately. See what works, optimize it and do it again.

The experience you gain from execution will help you drive your campaign forward.

I know you need to learn before you can do, that goes without saying, but as soon as you understand the concepts execute a campaign.

4. Use Scrum To Master Execution

There is a software development methodology called Scrum that has gained traction in the industry and is now spilling over into other industries.

Coming from a software development background, I have used scrum for years with software developers and have also been using it with my marketing teams.

I have been able to execute many new strategies and see amazing results because of the use of scrum.

Scrum is built on a few principles that are congruent with the spirit of execution. They are:

Communication And Accountability

Scrum includes four meeting types which enable the team to communicate freely with each other. Allowing them to do their work, ask for help when required and make mistakes without the fear of a big stick whacking them.

Change Is Normal

Scrum accepts that change is something that is going to happen in software development. Changes to the initial requirements, bugs in the software and changes in what is required based on end user testing.

Scrum helps the team complete some work, review what they finished, make the necessary changes to improve that work and then implement those changes in the next week.

This process is exactly what an internet marketer needs to do to keep up with the changes required to their campaigned based on the data collected from each campaign.

Conclusion

The Principle of Execution is the secret sauce to why internet marketing gurus get such good results in their marketing campaigns.

Honestly, there is no secret sauce. It’s a well-known fact in business and life.

Do something and you will be more successful than if you do nothing. The question you need to ask yourself is, are you going to be a specialist in execution or an expert in planning?

Become awesome at executing day in and day out. Do as much as you can in the hours you have available, and you will see your successes increase.

Let me know in the comments below if you agree with me on the importance of the Principle of Execution.

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