In 1996 Val Kilmer was in a movie with Michael Douglas. In the movie, they were hunting a massive killer lion out on the Savannah. As a gift, another hunter gave Val Kilmer a beautiful new gun to hunt with – since the lion was so badass.
Later in the movie, Val Kilmer had a dramatic encounter with this lion. He pulled up his gun, and with the lion in his sites, he pulled the trigger. The rifle jammed and didn’t go off.
Michael Douglas was PISSED. He got in Val’s face and with total disgust at his amateur mistake he sneered: “You went into battle, with an untested weapon!?” Val was totally ashamed and embarrassed at his rookie mistake.
(My young impressionable mind never forgot this. 😳)
This is what I think about, when a client has an unexpected opportunity and they ask to have promo material made, from scratch, last minute, based on notes they voice dictated while driving. They want it perfect, and they want it in 2 hrs.
Do not stress out your business and your TEAM by putting them in this situation. Your marketing is a high-performance machine with many moving parts. For it to close deals and execute on your behalf, it needs to be trained, tested and prepared.
Your marketing can be RELIABLE if you stop shooting fancy new guns off at everything that moves. Instead, take your time to build your systems and workflows.
🎯 Get your brand visuals in order
🎯 Have a process for communicating upcoming opportunities to your marketer.
🎯 Test your ads, campaigns, web and print before you flex them on a huge opportunity.
🎯 Bring reliable steady leadership to your project.
KILL THE LION.
(This story is a metaphor we do not promote the killing of lions.) 🦁
