The Marketing Conundrum: Measuring RESULTS (vs. completing tasks)

I was working on some FAQ's for a client earlier today and were exploring the difference between Traditional Management Processes and Adaptive Management Processes. And one of the things I realized was that when it comes to the traditional way of "getting things done" - or solving "we know how" problems - there seems to always be some kind of "completion" we experience. Think building a skyscraper. Or installing a phone line.

Sure, there's maintenance.

But there's ALSO a state of completion. A part of the experience where someone could say, "we're done", and move on to the next project.

But with Adaptive Management Practices, things are more agile. When we're faced with solving "we DON'T know how problems" (like climate change, or resetting global supply chains), there ISN'T a "completion".

There's ongoing iteration. Evolution. Exploration. Conversation. Creativity. Innovation.

But at no point are we "done".

Marketing, by nature, falls into the LATTER category. It's adaptive.

But seemingly, to fit into the traditional management infrastructure of companies, we've turned it on it's head. And not for the better of the industry.

Because we tried SO hard to focus on "what we know" (think what we learn from our marketing data), we didn't leave any time for what we don't know💡

Which itself is ever-evolving.

So, how can you turn that around for YOUR Marketing Team?

Let's explore some ways.

Redefine Success...

I've talked about this in articles before, about how Marketers get caught up in "success metrics" that actually have NOTHING to do with the success of the business.

And we could go into all the ways WHY that happens, but I want to focus this article on WHAT we can do about it once it happens instead.

Every day you come to work, you have the power to redefine success.

Yes, even if that's OUTSIDE of your quarterly management meeting.

Because there's a HECK of a lot of work - time, effort, energy, budget - that goes into DOING things. And if those things aren't taking you where you're trying to go, what's the point of doing them?

THERE IS NONE.

Zip. Zero. Zilch.

Literally, you can stop doing ALL of them right now, and it wouldn't take you any farther away from reaching your goals.

I'm gonna be bold here and DARE you to try it.

Yeah, right now. I'll wait...

And when you come back, let's talk about the RESULTS it takes to get you to whatever new version of success it is that you've chosen.

...Identify Results that move you TOWARD That Success...

Ok, now that you have your version of success define (again), what results will get you there?

Sure, at some point it's going to take DOING things.

But we're not there yet 😉

This is NOT just about doing THINGS.

It's about doing THE things that move you towards success.

And eliminating EVERYTHING else.

Yeah, I said it.

EVERYTHING ELSE.

Including all those efforts your boss, or the internet, or that new trendy influencer told you you HAD to do in order to be successful.

You do not HAVE to do them.

Especially if they aren't taking you where you're going.

I know it seems simple. But I would bet MONEY (and I'm not a gambler) that there are efforts within your marketing program TODAY that are NOT taking you where you're going.

...Go get THOSE Results...

Ok, so THOSE results...the ones that move you toward success...

Now go and GET them.

The tricky bit here is that...

You probably don't know HOW.

And if you continue to follow the Traditional Management Practices, your first though was probably to "go and find the person who knows how to do that".

But here's the thing...

NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THAT FOR YOUR BUSINESS BEFORE.

They might have done it for ANOTHER business...

But that doesn't mean it's going to work for you.

YOU have a specific way to get those results for YOUR business.

And the only way to figure our YOUR way is to EXPERIMENT.

Here's where the Adaptive Management Principles come in. And they take: 1) shared leadership, 2) group conversations, 3) experimentation, and 4) networks to achieve your desired performance results.

There is no external expert for this.

YOU have to become the expert.

And no...that doesn't mean you have to become an expert in Marketing...

It means YOU become the expert in how YOU would find your way to bring YOUR message to the world.

And then bring some qualified Marketers along for the ride.

...With YOUR Team.

When we talk about "shared leadership" and "group conversations", I think it's pretty clear that we need a group. A TEAM.

Maybe you're lucky and you have the internal team you need to make all this work. With strong diversity of thought, the ability to challenge each other, and time resources to get experiments done.

And maybe you DON'T have that internally today.

But that doesn't mean it can be outsourced.

It means it needs to be CREATED.

And hiring employees is only ONE WAY of doing that.

Marketing - luckily - is also inherently freelance-able.

The possibilities of created a fractional team with all the knowledge you need, are high.

But the JOINT OWNERSHIP is what's important here. Which is why the Agency Model of Marketing is also failing.

"A Team, with Joint Ownership of Solving a Performance Challenge" is DIFFERENT than "people you've outsourced to do things they're good at".

YOU CHOOSE.

Sure, the latter is "easier". But it's also choosing completion over results.

Personally, I'm a proponent of the former.

And if you're in the process of building your TEAM to solve your Marketing Performance Challenge, then I'm IN 🎉 Shall we chat?