Commitment
In The Face Of Sharks
For the past 5 months I've been training for the Dannon
Race to End Hunger Triathlon series coming to Key Biscayne Fl.,
May 2nd. It'll be my first triathlon ever.
As part of the training, it is strongly recommended that I swim
in open water, meaning the ocean. I went to Crandon Park on Key
Biscayne to continue training for the swim portion of the race.
I find myself on the beach, beautiful afternoon, light breeze,
kids playing on the shore, couples splashing each other and seagulls
flying overhead.
I'm about chest deep in the sea, my swim cap on, goggles on, ready
to start swimming my yards...
In the distant I hear the progressively lauder shouts of lifeguards
saying "Everybody out of the water, now!" and "You,
sir, get out!"
I ask the lifeguard what's wrong he says, "Shark, there's
a shark in the water", "he's hunting stingrays".
People are still hurrying out of the water and within seconds the
shore is cleared.
I notice that the lifeguards are closing their towers and heading
back to base, after all it was 5:00 pm time to clock out. I'm left
confused, wet and with a growing desire to finish what I set out
to do, swim.
15 minutes later, I start walking towards the water, put on my swim
cap and goggles and off I go to meet the distance. With one
thought in mind, "swim the distance and keep an eye out
for Jaws".
You might be saying this guy is nuts... what were you thinking,
Marcos? (Answer, above) After I told my wife the story she looked
at me and just shook her head in disbelief.
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I
casually mentioned to her that probability of getting bitten
by a 2 foot "Black
Tip" shark that's hunting stingrays is small. I simply
don't look like dinner, I'm 5'8" and I don't have a stinger
for a tail (although a stinger might prove handy). |
And
I know that as long as I don't startle it, I should be good. That
was the advice I got from a shark expert on the Discovery Channel.
You see, I know what I'm doing... sure.
Nevertheless you ask, what was going through my mind at that moment,
why did I swim? And I'll I have to say is, commitment.
Anything worthwhile requires unyielding commitment- being
bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action even
if it involves risks and small sharks. That's what it takes
to make it to the finish line in a triathlon.
And that's what it takes to create and manage a successful eNewsletter
marketing program, unyielding commitment. But in the end, the
effort pays and believe me, it pays big.
3 Ways to keep your eNewsletter commitment
going strong:
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Schedule
time just to work on the eNewsletter. Make it part of your
planner. |
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Make
it a priority. Marketing and prospecting are the lifelines
of any successful business. If you are not looking or helping
to look for business how long do you think you?ll be in business. |
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Set
a hard deadline- a do or die date where everything involving
the eNewsletter is completed and ready to deliver and respect
that date with your life. |
If
you publish your eNewsletter yourself, committing to a publishing
schedule is one of the main components of a successful eNewsletter
program. It builds reader loyalty and expectancy.
Remember
your readers took the time to give you their personal information
when they subscribed. They probably enjoy reading your eNewsletter
and they look forward to it month after month.
But
if you send it out once in a while or you miss your deadline by
more than a few days, your readers will stop expecting it, they'll
stop trusting it as reliable source of information, and guess
what they won't be trusting next...yeah, your business.
If
you need help getting the eNewsletter done and out the door let
me know, we can make sure it is flawlessly delivered on a scheduled
basis and even better we can make it profitable.
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Bottom Line:
As
anything else in life, what you put in is what you get out.
Make your eNewsletter program a priority and you'll be making
your clients and prospects the must important part of your business.
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So
that's what I say...but what do you think? I'm
all ears.
You can now reply with your comments about how brainless it was
for me to go swimming with a shark warning. Or you can copy/paste
this quote and send it me "good luck in the race Marcos; I'll
have the ambulance ready..."
Loop Consulting Group- making eNewsletters that commit to
your clients.
P.S. Don't forget to rate this article. Think of the usefulness
of the commitment advice on the article and not of the author's
personal use of good judgment. I want a good review. |
