008 The Invisible Touch – On The Outside Looking In
Research And Its Limits
My father used to say that a "consultant borrows your watch to tell you what time it is."
Well, almost, Dad.
(My Dad wasn't ridiculing – he was a high-priced Real Estate Appraiser and Counselor whose opinion about the value of real estate was taken VERY seriously in some of the largest appraisal cases in the world. But he has a dry sense of humor and loves to tease, thus the quote!)
Being a consultant myself I'm part naive boy, part marketing-educated man, part skeptic, part court jester, part cheerleader (because I always want my clients' businesses to do well – and I LOVE to tell them how well they are doing!).
Have you ever had the child of a close friend or relative visit your home and ask why a room looks the way it does?
You've stopped noticing the pile of magazines in the corner, the painting that is askew, the worn rug right where you stand right before plopping onto your sofa each night to watch the news.
Consultants do the same thing: they notice things.
And the brave ones who don't fear speaking up to tell the emperor when he has no clothes on just as the little boy in the story did.
We all see life through filters: mine is a VERY heavy marketing filter – I see marketing stories even at my local Borders when someone orders a Turkey with Havarti sandwich (and I blogged on it too, of course. See it here: Marketing Lessons – Turkey and Havarti at Borders).
We miss things that others will see BECAUSE of those filters.
I know as SOON as I put a new document in front of my wife (something I've toiled over for HOURS) she will find a typo. Hey, I'm not great accepting mistakes from others (when it comes to my business) but I HATE them when they come from ME!
But isn't it better to get the outsider's view before we lose money over something we missed?
So that's what an outsider can do for us. Our brains jump right over the mistakes because we know what it SHOULD say, but the naive, uninformed, filled-with-wonder outsider can help us a great deal – be sure to use one.
Best,
Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting
The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
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Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and marketing-success coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and direct-response marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, and Facebook applications. Visit his blog at http://bit.ly/24eYTO to learn more about his successes.
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008 The Invisible Touch – On The Outside Looking In
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