Todd has helped so many businesses revamp and rethink the way they operate. He transforms businesses and leaves them on a new path to success. So you could say he knows a thing or two about the do’s and don’ts of marketing. His mountain of experience has gifted him with tons of important advice he’s nice enough to share with us so we can use it for our own lives and businesses.
Let’s say you’ve just came up with this totally amazing product or service, hurray for you! But what most people forget about is the need to develop a strong team around them to help take that idea for a product off the ground.
Todd’s take on this is, “I think most people go into it believing that they’re creating a product, that they’ve got this great idea for a product or a service that they’re going to create and what they don’t realize is what they’re really doing is creating a business, and that business is the infrastructure around the product to help them make that product successful to help customers actually enjoy that product”.
While you may be super excited about the great new thing you’ve come up with, you have to understand that in order to be successful you need to make sure you have the tools and the support to help that thing take off and to see the best results.
This isn’t the only mistake people make regarding marketing, one of the largest issues facing individuals is the “need for speed”.
We live in a fast paced world nowadays, with so many companies and so many options, it seems like you have to act fast or not at all. But this gets tricky when it comes to marketing and selling, where rushing can hurt you way more than it could help you.
“One of the biggest challenges for organizations is there’s this pressure of, I found my customer. Now I’ve got to go in and win. I’ve got to go in and conquer the marketplace. It’s a zero sum game I’ve got to go in and make this thing happen. And so this rush to go in and do that misses the mark”. Todd illustrates this problem perfectly. People are so fixed on closing a deal or grabbing as many customers as possible that they fumble the ball and don’t get the outcome they would’ve wanted initially.
Situations like these could be so easily avoided with the help of other people around you. Mentors and people who have faced similar issues as you are your best friend when it comes to avoiding silly mistakes and making sure you’re on the right path.
While that song was about drugs… I assure you this conversation was not. You’re probably on the wrong website if that was what you were looking for.
But it’s true! The more people around you, advising you and guiding you, the better your outcomes will be. Having at least one impartial person who knows the industry you’re in to hear your ideas and bounce questions off of is crucial in a business like this.
But how do I get those friends? How do I build those connections? You may ask. Well, Todd’s got you covered!
“Take an hour at lunch, to go have a coffee with somebody who’s going to be that great advisor or mentor to help you grow your business, go have a drink with somebody once a week, and spend a little bit of time talking to somebody else who’s going to give you that unique rich perspective and start to collect those people around you that will support you and help you grow and build that board of advisors, whether it’s formal or informal”.
That’s all it takes to be just one step ahead of the competition!
I know you probably feel smarter already, but what if I told you… Todd had even MORE brilliant things to share with us. I know, I know, sounds too good to be true. See for yourself by listening to the full Lately Live episode here: https://bit.ly/2YVxlm2
Todd Wilms has worked at a ton of incredible businesses (PayPall, eBay, SAP, and PeopleSoft just to name a few) so you could say he knows about what he’s talking about. He has used his gifts in marketing and social strategy to completely transform companies and leave them stronger and more successful than they ever were before. Todd is also is an amazing author, his new book Beyond Product reached #1 on Amazon’s Hotlist. Learn more about it here: https://www.foundersplace.co/beyond-product-the-book/. You can also check out his website at www.toddwilms.com to get more of his amazing insight into the world of marketing.
