Focus

I’ll be honest, Q1 has not been my most focused quarter. So in order to be more focused, I’ve found inspiration.

In the intro to his book Focus, Al Ries says business is made up of two things:

Marketing and innovation.

Innovation being the ideas that actually make the thing valuable. And marketing being the ideas the actually make the thing memorable. Without marketing, the most innovative doo-dads in the world remain hidden deep inside someone’s dresser drawer.

And I believe that marketing is one of the hardest things to do well.

Which is why I put so much time and effort to studying it, and making it more accessible. But it’s one of those things that when it’s done well, it looks easy.

Maybe you’ve even asked yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that?” while in the presence of good marketing.

I know I have. But I also know the truth is that getting to that place is complicated. Because the thing that feels obvious and simple is usually already taken. And the reason it’s taken is because it wasn’t so obvious when someone came up with it.

At the time it was risky, or strange, and most people said it wouldn’t work, but now that it works…

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

So how to do it well?

Most people don’t know this, but Thomas Edison didn’t invent the light bulb. Other inventors had working versions before he did. His gift, the thing that separated him from everyone else, was perfecting it.

He spent thousands of hours testing more than 1,600 different filament fibers from all over the world. He enlisted the help of dozens of researchers to send him specimens with which he could run his experiments.

Even after he settled on the final filament, he kept experimenting.

So by the time he was done, no one else was coming along next with a better version. Not because he was trying to “beat” anyone. Which is what most people do. They’ll build a “decent” light bulb then try to build a moat around it in defense.

Instead, Edison built something so perfect that there was nothing left to improve.

And if you ask Al Ries what it takes to make your marketing work, it’s this:

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“Dialing down the focus of your aim until it’s like a laser that can burn through any obstacle that stands in your way.”

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Which is why I'm running a promotion next week for something I think might be the most useful thing I've ever put together for this exact problem.

It’s an experiment. Much like Edison’s filament experiment.

Only instead of taking thousands of hours, it should only take you about 30 minutes, give or take.

And what comes out the other side is the specific language that separates you from everyone else in your space.

The words that attract the people in your market who are actively looking for solutions to the problems you solve. The words that attract the people who are eager to join your email list in order to learn more. And the words that attract the people who are already interested in buying your offers and services in order to solve their problems.

Think of it as your own carbonized bamboo filament.

Not a decent answer, but the final answer. The same way Edison found his, through a focused, methodical experiment, rather than thousands of hours of random guesswork.

Here's my question before I put the finishing touches on it:

If there was something like that — a 30-minute experiment that helped you get crystal clear on your marketing focus, your messaging, and exactly what to say to attract the right people right now — would you pay at least one dollar for it?

If that's a yes, reply back with "I'm interested" and I'll do two things:

1) Make sure you're first in line when it's ready, and 2) Send you a bonus I haven't told anyone else about yet. Something that'll make the whole thing more fun to implement. I'll share what that is with the people who raise their hand.

Talk soon,

Kevin Hood