Entrepreneurial websites, blogs, and “gurus” will rave time and again about the importance of “hustle”. In a lot of ways, they’re right! This hyper-focused, driving mentality is certainly a great way to get your business, your name, and your face in front of new leads or connections.
Where hustle falls short, however, is that it leads to entrepreneurs conducting frantic and reactionary activities where instead there should be coordinated and intentional follow-through.
Too often, “hustle” has entrepreneurs falling prey to the idea that their quick “elevator pitch” introduction or “set it and forget it” funnel will seal the deal and create a client for life.
And while it’s certainly fun when the “right time, right message, right person” becomes an instant client, in reality, most prospects require much more interaction before they choose to work with someone. It’s important to continue fostering and managing relationships before an introduction can develop into a prospect or potential referral.
This misguided definition of “hustle” shows up as a lot of activity without a lot of integration.
This is true in more than just person-to-person relationships; this concept of intention and coordination is equally crucial in the development of your brand and messaging. Consistent, on-brand messaging is key for creating awareness and clarity about who your business is, who your client is, and what you have to offer them. This is what gives leads and prospects the chance to buy in.
“Hustle” just doesn’t replace a consistent and intentionally engaging client journey.
Consider other, larger business models that find great success in messaging, such as Oreo or Coca-Cola. These brands aren’t wavering between a variety of marketing tactics and messages; rather, their brand rarely changes, and as a result, audiences instantly recognize the iconic sandwich cookie or curling font and red can.
It may seem nerve-racking to compare your business to something the size of Coca-Cola, but your business is just that: a business. Run it like one by following the example of the brands and companies who have been able to do the legwork of research, trials, and customer behavior studies, and adopt their tactics for your own business.
As you do this, don’t let the strive to be in “the hustle” create a binary thought in your mind that everything is either a “success” or a “failure” — rather, it’s all just fresh pieces of data for you to analyze and use for taking the next step.
It’s easy when you’re trying to “hustle” to be susceptible to the instant gratification promised in Facebook ads or LinkedIn courses, but most marketing tactics are not one-size-fits-all. And it’s not that the tactics are bad or wrong. It’s just that your business wasn’t necessarily ready for them.
Not all tactics are appropriate for all businesses. When adopting long-term marketing strategies, consider the size, goals, and mission of your brand. Without this clarity of who your client is and what your organization’s mission is, you can’t develop strong messaging, and without strong messaging, you’ll struggle to win business. No matter what strategies you try. Too many hustle-based tactics forget to tell you this part.
I actually like the idea of “hustle” but let’s make “hustle” mean being excited and having a sense of urgency about doing the work — not rushing from thing to thing to thing like the world’s number one pinball.
Conversion requires intentional consideration, consistent messaging, and patience with your business model. This begins with truly knowing your business and being able to identify your prospective client.
Check out Conquer Your Business events to learn about how to more deeply understand your business, refine your messaging and find the right strategy for growing your business.
