I’m promoting an event for our Toastmaster’s club that is a copy of a job interview workshop that another club put on. I chose it specifically because I knew that it worked wonderfully in driving membership for the other club.
I spoke with the president of that club more recently and he mentioned a detail that I wasn’t initially aware of: the original workshop was during the 2008 recession.
Unemployment was high and people were seeking jobs or trying to help others weather the storm.
Right now, unemployment is low. People are changing jobs and the workshop could still work, but it’s definitely not a 2008 environment.
I have no doubt that I’m a more skilled marketer than the president of that club. I very much doubt our results will be as good as his.
Selling water in a desert doesn’t require any skill. Doing so doesn’t make the person who does it an amazing salesperson.
However, as entrepreneurs we all choose what, when, and how we sell our products and services.
There are all sorts of trends and changes in the environment. Differences in market pressure cause continually shifting weather.
In trying to grow, it’s important to harness these forces and work with them rather than relying just on skill and effort. Your ability to align with these will dramatically impact not only your success, but the cost to achieve it.
Featured image is Edmond Halley’s map of the trade winds, 1686. Used under public domain.