There’s an old saying that too many cooks spoil the broth. This is equally true for businesses, particularly smaller ones. While it’s essential to grow to continue early success, it’s also important to keep realistic with your aims.
Whether it’s launching new products, starting a PR/marketing/advertising campaign or adding sections to your website, taking on too much will leave you thinly spread and, ultimately, less effective. Instead, concentrate on one or two growth areas, and make them as strong as they can possibly be. This will allow you a solid grounding for increasing activity at a later date.
Product Launches
Look at two of the biggest and most successful companies around today – Apple and Microsoft. When they launch a new product, it’s usually no more than 2 different products. The iPhone, the iPod, Windows Vista, Xbox – although there may be different versions of the same product for different markets, essentially it still equates to one product line.
This is one of the main reasons why these two companies lead the market in their fields. They keep the new products launched to a minimum for a simple reason – don’t confuse the market. This ensures that people aren’t wondering which version is better – instead, all they need to decide is which colour to go for. Keep your own product launches restricted to a minimum and build their brand loyalty first. Then expand.
Less is More
One of the more common mistakes that I’ve found in the past is from clients looking to have a huge PR campaign when in reality all that’s needed is a smaller, more targeted one. This isn’t necessarily the client’s fault – more the programming that we tend to receive that bigger is better.
However, unless you have a huge budget to employ multiple PR agencies, or one that can provide you with dozens of bodies for your account, having a large PR campaign is invariably just pouring money down the drain.
Additionally, it can lead to a confused message coming from your business – is Product A better than Product B? Why should I use Product C over A and B?
Instead of confusing your target audience with multiple PR campaigns all being run at the same time, concentrate your efforts on your limited product launch instead. Reach the audience – consumer and media – that you’re after, knock them for six with an excellent product and promotion, and you’ll find your results will be far stronger than if you throw everything you have at a wall and hope some of it sticks.
While you certainly don’t want to stand still in business, you don’t want to run too fast or spend money unnecessarily or for the wrong reasons. If someone tells you that you need to spend so much on something, ask why. If the answer is because bigger is better, say “Thanks, but no thanks – I’d rather concentrate on quality over quantity.”
Working to that mantra will help you succeed when others are failing around you.
Copyright © 2008 Press Release PR. If you wish to reprint this article, please list an author credit as “Danny Brown / Press Release PR” and link the credit to http://www.pressreleasepr.com
3 Comments
October 27, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Danny,
This is very true. As a software development manager after running so many dev projects I found that one of the most contributing factor to project’s success is controlling the project’s scope. Focusing on only few key features at the time gives you the opportunity to build quality into the product. I also believe that quality gives you speed (there is no need to go back and fixing problems while working on new features). It is great to see that the same principle works in other places too.
Keren
October 27, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Thanks Keren.
That’s the great thing about taking a sensible approach – it can be used anywhere in life, personally and professionally.
Additionally, how can you possibly offer your best if your drained from handling too much? Mistakes will happen and the effects could be disastrous.
Thanks for your comment, appreciated.
May 11, 2009 at 2:41 am
You provided such great examples on this saying and how to apply it toward running a business. Thanks so much for the insights.