Are you, like LeBron James, guilty of playing the results?
Even if you’re not familiar with professional basketball, you’ve probably heard of LeBron James.
Most likely because he’s currently the best basketball player on the planet. A once in a generation talent, LeBron, AKA “King James” (love him or hate him) has played his way into being considered one of the best players of all time.
But all of this said, LeBron’s carer has seen its share of ups and downs. And presently, he’s careened into a serious patch of doldrums.
After 16 seasons, entirely in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, LeBron signed this year with Los Angeles Lakers. The team of Wilt Chamberlin, Kareen Abdul Jabar, and Shaq + Bryant, the Lakers stand as one of the Western Conference’s most storied franchises.
Things, however, are not going very well… Despite employing the “best basketball player on the planet,” the Lakers appear poised to miss the playoffs. For the seventh year in a row. A trend the Lakers assumed signing LeBron would derail.
The reason?
Highly astute NBA analysts (far smarter and more studied on the topic than me) point to a couple of factors.
First, at 34, after 16 seasons in the NBA, age and wear are a factor. LeBron’s put a whole lotta miles on his bod. And a decline at this stage is inevitable for every player.
Analysts have noted over the last couple of seasons that LeBron has begun to “take plays off.” And at times, he “doesn’t work as hard on defense.” Preferring instead to conserve energy for strong offensive play in “crunch time” (the closing minutes of a game’s 4th quarter). In effect, over this stretch, LeBron had been turning his considerable talent and skills “on-and-off” to suit the situation.
Secondly, joining the Western Conference has SERIOUSLY upped his competition. Historically, the Western Conference has been stronger and decidedly more competitive than its Eastern counterpart.
Only a handful of Eastern teams really shine. And in the East, LeBron was able to skate through the playoffs and into the NBA Finals over the last couple season mostly on cruise control, flipping on the “effort” switch only when absolutely necessary.
But a dozen Western teams are jostling for playoff position. And several appear to be legitimate NBA Championship title contenders. Which leaves the Lakers, lead by LeBron’s diminished effort, outside the playoff race looking in.
In short, LeBron is guilty of “playing the results.”
In other words, rather than investing in the process (delivering consistent effort), LeBron’s rested on his laurels (“turning it on” in crunch time). And while that method easily guided him into the playoffs in the East, this approach doesn’t cut it in the West.
And all too often, I see many business owners make the exact same mistake…
For example, let’s look at the case of the Misguided Mortgage Broker…
A former client, let’s call him Porter, was once a highly successful mortgage broker. At the height of the pre-Great Recession real estate boom, Porter was funneling tons of cash into glossy magazine ads, full-page newspaper spreads, and bus bench ads galore strewn across his home city.
And at the time, his business was SOARING! Though, he couldn’t point to exactly how or why things were so good. But seemingly everyone was riding high at the time, and his business was carried along on the cresting wave. Meanwhile, he was perfectly content to remain blissfully ignorant of the how + why things were so good, as long as new business continued to roll in.
And it did. For a while…
When the real estate market cr*pped out and the entire economy took an enormous dump, Porter continued to pour money into the same pricy advertising gambits. Until his cash ran out and he folded up his tent for good.
Porter, like LeBron, was guilty of playing the results.
With zero understanding of which marketing efforts were generating business, Porter was simply riding the crest of a surging economy.
But the thing about an economic upswing? What goes up, MUST come down. And down it did. in a BIG way. Taking Porter’s business along on the way down.
The Marketing Lesson Here?
EFFECTIVE marketing isn’t “I’ll… throw up a website” or “buy a glossy ad” or “send out a few postcards and emails… And tons of business will roll in!”
Nope. Not even CLOSE.
Rather, effective marketing is a PROCESS.
A 5 step process to be exact:
- Identify your ideal client
- Define your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
- Narrow your niche
- Select the APPROPRIATE tactics to reach your audience (your ideal clients)
- Continuously review, evaluate + revise your approach
If you hope to see your business succeed — in the long term, not just for a few years or in a strong economy, but for decades to come — invest in the process. Don’t just “play the results.”
What Say You?
Agree? Disagree? Swing by my LinkedIn page and let’s debate!
Looking forward to seeing you there :—)
