WHEN YOUR BEST ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH
John Mason: Are you sure you're ready for this?
Stanley Goodspeed: I'll do my best.
John Mason: Your "best"! Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and *snuggle with* the prom queen.
Stanley Goodspeed: Carla was the prom queen.
John Mason: Really?
Stanley Goodspeed: [cocks his gun] Yeah.
(dialogue between Sean Connory and Nicholas Cage in the movie The Rock)
So what is your best? And is it actually good enough?
You may be good at a lot of things, but you’d be pretty special if you were actually one of the best at anything.
Because the evaluation of good-better-best is relative, it is easy to manipulate our standing.
Your company may have a very lean cost structure, but still not be able to compete with private label manufacturers.
Your product may be designed with the same high quality ingredients or materials, but still not be viewed as equal to the recognized brand equity of similar established products.
Your ideas may be original and creative, but your execution may still not get the results enjoyed by more experienced agencies that are less original and less creative.
Lots of small companies deceive themselves with the belief that their best work as also great work. A combination of ignorance, arrogance and budget constraints perpetuate this lie.
It is easy to consider yourself the best when you’re unaware of anyone that is better (even if there are many).
It is human nature to inflate the value and grandeur of our own ideas and our own work while being biased to finding fault in everyone else’s work.
When we can’t afford a more expensive option (be that a car or a creative agency), we convince ourselves that what we actually can afford is ultimately just as good.
ROCK BEATS SCISSORS
Please don't take this commentary is fear-mongering. It is a simple reality I’ve seen across dozens of clients. And it typically leads to a predictable end:
A client convinced of their invincibility has a humbling, painful and expensive experience.
They might get skunked from a line review, gaining absolutely no distribution and having to wait another 12 months to start growing sales.
They might launch a product viewed as flawless only to quickly get mixed or negative customer reviews point out shortcomings they thought could be overlooked.
They spend six- or seven-figures on programs that were supposed to drive demand only to discover their message fell completely flat because it didn’t actually appeal to their prime prospects.
The root cause is almost always the same: These companies had their own definition of excellence, and that definition was based on a very different curve compared to the rest of the industry.
Few companies have the depth and breath to be great across many functions. Most depend on partnerships that bring together the best team.
Could you be in the same situation? Have you become too inwardly focused to recognize your needs?
Here is an easy test: How many companies do you admire as better than you in various ways (be that product development, marketing, social media, sales, insights, operations, cost controls, etc.)
If you can’t recognize any, you’re either delusional or brilliant. Either way, please contact me immediately…I’d either like to help you or become an early investor.