Choosing the Right Shovel For the Job
It’s a good idea to shovel first thing in the morning.
Pro tip: If you happen to live somewhere that requires shoveling during a multi-day snowstorm, you don’t want to wait until the end of said snowstorm to shovel.
If you live in a city or an apartment building, or you have an HOA, perhaps shoveling snow isn’t a chore you’re required to partake of. But if you live somewhere rural or suburban, you know this to be true:
Snow removal is much easier and more manageable if you shovel periodically throughout the day.
So this morning when my husband went out to shovel the walk, I appreciatively sipped my coffee while our son Emmett pressed his face against the window, spectating. We watched as he deftly scraped the shovel against the concrete, plowing the snow away.
That is until he popped inside and asked for a different shovel. The one he had, I would come to understand, was good for scraping snow into a pile, but not for scooping and throwing snow. It was all in the shape of the handle, the ergonomics for scooping and throwing were off.
It became a messy, awkward, inefficient task. So I fetched shovel #2 to he could cleanly execute the rest of the snow removal. Until that moment, I had never given much thought to what type of shovel we had. I just assumed snow shoveling was always a bit of a pain in the arse.
But now I was coming to understand that choosing a particular type of shovel could make executing a necessary task much more efficient.
And something more: timing matters. At least here in Colorado, the sun will finish the job for you – melting off those last pesky bits of snow that otherwise turn into black ice – if you’re able to time your shoveling accordingly.
Tools Can Help or Hinder Your Efforts
For most marketers, the right tools amount to software used for anything from internal communication, to your CRM, to social media management and analytics.
Let’s use choosing your CRM as an example.
At it’s core, a CRM’s purpose is “customer relationship management,” but that’s a broad term that can encompass a lot of different feature sets specific to different areas of your business, like lead management, marketing, and e-commerce.
How to choose the right CRM for your business can really be “melted down” (wink, wink) into one question: what’s the most important thing you need your CRM to do? One of the most common criteria considered here is the ability to make email outreach easier and more effective.
Considering that 60 percent of consumers say they’ve made a purchase as the result of a marketing email they received, your email strategy needs to be sharp from a messaging perspective as well as time-effective.
A CRM, like most software tools marketers use, promise to help ensure accuracy and efficiency. But only when you’re using the tool that’s best matched for the job you need it to do.
Tools In The Right Hands
No matter what shovel we have, my husband is always going to do a better job shoveling than I would.
A lot of that comes down to practice. He just does it more than I do. Which also means he’s developed a technique for effective snow removal.
But now he also knows the difference between different types of shovels, what they are best used for, and which one will help him execute most efficiently.
It’s experience combined with skill and motivation that makes him good at accomplishing the task at hand.
I don’t know about you, but I have worked with many professionals who do great work, but can’t execute on time. They’ve got the tools, and the talent, but their motivation or communication skills are lacking.
Here’s the Bottom Line
The right tools matter, but so do the people operating them.
Execution, in theory, is simple. Push the button to send or schedule. Push the shovel to scrape snow off the sidewalk.
And yet, this simple task is the one that the whole campaign hinges on – and it’s so often sabotaged by the wrong tools or the wrong hands or a combination of both. So if you’re constantly having trouble executing, maybe it’s time to find a different shovel and do some digging.
Are your tools serving the purposes you need them to? If email outreach is a pain point, it’s worth asking some questions:
- Is it easy to create email templates?
- Can you design and automate nurture tracks without too much hassle?
- Is it easy to review and assess basic analytics, like open and click rates?
If the answer to all those questions is a resounding YES then you’ve nailed the tool, but need to find the right hands. (Hint: I can help!)
