New flash: Rome wasn’t built in two days either

I firmly believe that we live in a world that leans towards instant gratification.

Freshly brewed hot coffee, by the cup, prepared instantly. Do you want your friends to see what you are having for lunch? You can upload a photo instantly. Do you want the latest music from your favorite artist? Just download it instantly.

When it comes to building a new business, ‘instant’ can help but it can’t replace what it can’t replace.

Building a brand takes time.

Building trusting relationships takes time.

Building a strong project portfolio takes time.

I am a big believer in not reinventing the wheel. I prefer to look around me, see what others are doing and what is going well for them, and try to follow them. Who has not heard of The Wall Street Journal? However, I see your ads everywhere. Why would a brand like Mayo Clinic feel the need to be on Twitter? However, they are and they are crushing it. Why would billion-dollar revenue contractors use a lead service? Yet many do.

Buying a CRM is not a business development strategy. Placing a single ad in a post is not an ad campaign. Sponsoring a hole in the local association golf tournament is not a marketing program.

I often use the following when engaging with a potential or prospective customer: “Buying a treadmill won’t get you in shape…however, the continuous and effective its use will be”.

The key is ‘continuous and effective use’.

I have witnessed companies spend thousands of dollars on CRM and use it continuously, but not effectively. I’ve worked with companies that bought a good deal of advertising for a trade show, but that was about it. I have written business plans for companies only to follow up six months later to find they never read them.

Of all industries, the design and construction industry understands what it means to follow a plan. There aren’t too many buildings that get built by putting together a couple hundred building product manufacturers, subcontractors, contractors, and designers on a vacant lot with each improvising on their own.

They follow a very specific set of plans and specifications to achieve a complete and successful goal.

The same should be true for the part of the business that is tasked with winning new customers and keeping current ones. Desired results will not happen overnight, through a single tweet, a blog post, a half-page ad, a new logo golf tee, etc. Success will come from a dedicated program that can be run effectively and continuously.

The instant is for soup.