Zigging and Zagging

I was recently reminded that success rarely happens in a straight line.

It zigs and zags.

This is especially true in the marketing field.

You try a new market or message or media and see if it works – the zig. You can’t know if you don’t try. And the only way to try is to put it in front of potential customers.

If it works, you keep on zigging. But at a certain point, it won’t work anymore.

So you zag.

The best marketing people I know are the ones who don’t complain about this law of success.

They embrace it instead.

They are relentless about tracking what works and what doesn’t.

And they’re ruthless about changing direction when they need to.

This ensures their zigs and zags stay tight. So they get to their target faster because the distance is ultimately shorter.

Most people are the opposite.

They zig and zag in wide circles. They hold on too long to things that aren’t working. They tolerate dysfunction longer.

This means they take longer to get to a given goal… even if they do the same things as the other guy.

Now, you might be saying,

Sure. Maybe.

But the more important question is: