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If It Ain't Broke, DON'T FIX IT!
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I've always been a Rebel. I hate following the crowd. As a
child, I caused myself, and my parents, no small amount of grief
and pain trying to prove that I could "Do It My Way", and as you
might guess, the results were usually predictable. I would end
up slinking away, with my tail between my legs, waiting for my
next opportunity to prove to 'them' that...
My Way Was Better!
Now, being creative, headstrong and stubborn is not necessarily
a bad thing. Throughout history, all great minds possessed these
qualities.
Creativity, after all, is the Mother of invention, and
necessary to the advancement of all things,
But, when it comes to business...
"If it ain't broke, Don't fix it!" You can tweak it a little,
but don't mess with success!
Now, don't get me wrong, creativity has it's place in
marketing, in fact it's the major difference between hugely
successful marketers and those who just get by. But, those
hugely successful marketers use their creativity to come up with
new and interesting campaigns that still utilize the tried and
proven 'Rules' they adhere to stringently.
If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It! Bend it, twist it, make it
better, BUT DON'T BREAK IT!
No matter what the object of your desire is, there are only two
secrets to success.
- Accept your mistakes and learn from them, and
- Study those who have succeeded and learn from their success.
Number two is easy, if you can get past number one, but for
some of us, that's easier said than done.
I was born with a creative mind. I've spent my life in the
pursuit of 'Creativity'. At different points in my life, I have
been a painter, sculptor, musician, wildlife and nature
photographer, and through it all, a writer. I'm not happy unless
I'm involved in something that allows me to be creative. So, I
guess it's no surprise that my wife and I also own and operate
an Art Gallery. It was through this gallery that I finally
learned and accepted the secrets to success.
About ten years ago, we opened the doors to our first Art
Gallery. The purpose was, predominantly, as an outlet for my
own work. However, realizing that my work alone would not pay
the bills, we filled the gallery with beautiful works of art by
already famous artists.
Being an artist and connoisseur of fine art, I searched the Art
world for what I believed to be the most beautiful works
available and filled the gallery to bursting with these creative
marvels.
Each day I would go to the gallery and sit at my desk, surrounded
by this inspirational beauty.
It was great! It as a pleasure going to work.
But my wife was still working a full time job to support us and
the Gallery was barely paying for itself.
People would come in asking about this or that piece of artwork
and I would politely tell them that I could get it for them, but
that I didn't have it in stock. They would thank me and say they
would probably be back...
And I would never see them again.(You only get one shot at
converting looky-loos to customers...Don't Blow It!)
I started seeing a pattern, and at some point, on my journey
down this road to poverty, reality reached out and slapped me in
the face.
Suddenly, I realized, "Ya didn't have to like a painting to sell it". This was a business. I could go home at night, and
admire my tastes in artwork. What I needed to do at the gallery,
was offer the people what 'THEY' wanted to buy!
I researched the Galleries that were successful and found out
what they were selling. I found sources to keep me updated on
the ever changing trends in the business. I took home 'my' idea
of what should have sold and filled the Gallery with what 'was'
selling and suddenly, I had a successful business on my hands.
The moral to this story should be obvious. While there would
seem to be little similarity between an Art Gallery and an
Affiliate Program, the keys to success apply to all endeavors.
If some one is successful and you're not, then there is a good
chance that they know something that you don't (or at least
something that you haven't accepted yet).
Be creative, be different, but...
If It Ain't Broke, DON'T FIX IT!
One last example...
About six months ago, I redesigned my website. I followed all
of the rules and advice set forth by the 'experts', with the
exception of one. I decided to use a really nice gray background
for my webpages. I did so, because I thought it was easier on
the eyes, while reading, and because I felt it was far more
appealing than the plain white background that everyone else
uses.
The redesign must have been pretty good, because my conversion
rate went up, but after six months of tracking, it wasn't as
high as I would have liked.
So, about a week ago, I went in and deleted my aesthetic
background, just to see what would happen. ( I really didn't see
what possible difference it could make, other than to make my
site less attractive, but something I had read recently, made me
decide to listen to the 'experts' and give it a try.)
Guess what Folks, my conversion rate better than tripled
overnight and has been holding steady ever since! That one
little change was all it took. I don't like it as much, but like
I said before, "Ya don't have to like a painting to sell it!"
(you'd think he'd have learned the first time, huh)
Listen to the experts Folks, there's a reason why they work on
their laptops from the beaches of the world!
If It Ain't Broke, DON'T FIX IT!
Article by Len Thurmond. Len is the editor & founder of 'The Affiliate Review.' A Weekly Free Publication dedicated to bringing you the truth about online businesses and marketing tools. To receive our weekly email newsletter, Visit http://www.TheAffiliateReview.com
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