One of the most nerve-racking parts of the human experience is upsetting the status quo. When things are “normal,” it feels good.
Less stress. Less pressure. The ability the plan. It makes a big difference in how you approach your time.
But sometimes, there’s a need to upset the apple cart. Maybe something isn’t working out well for you or another party, etc., and the terms of engagement need to change.
I am thinking a lot about change recently, because in the marketing business, you must be able to adapt quickly. When the EU declared Google Analytics illegal, for example, that brought widespread disruption in an otherwise “status quo” sector of the marketing business.
Another example comes in the form of what marketing services I am offering for clients. There are clients who pay our company a lot of money each month to see results, and frankly, there are some areas in which I am not excited about the results we’re getting or the roadblocks we are facing in getting those results.
Of course, this means the status quo has to change.
In conversations with clients about this thus far — to my surprise — the response has been overwhelmingly positive!
Why was I surprised, though? What hidden fear caused me to be nervous about broaching the topic? What outcome was I expecting, really?
I will not speculate or psychoanalyze. It could be that another client would have an entirely different response.
The reality is, I think, that people are generally more receptive to change than you think, particularly if there are good reasons for the change.
No, it was not ideal that using Google Analytics — the most popular website analytics provider on the planet — became illegal in the EU literally overnight.
But the fix is a $14/month privacy-focused platform (affiliate link – you get $10 off!) that does not take more data than the bare minimum required from users, hosts unlimited sites, and is a quite elegant user experience. I can deal with that.
Here’s the lesson: If something truly needs to change, address it ASAP. The longer it lingers, the worse it stinks. And people really get upset when they find out you identified a problem long ago and did not tell them about it.
For that, you will be seen as reactive and irresponsible. Confront issues head-on, and you’ll be seen as proactive and reliable. A much better position to be in.