Video - Robert Craven - Groundhog Day

VIDEO: 4:29 mins

AUTHOR: Robert Craven

Video short from Robert where he talks about the struggles of running and agency right now. Does it feel like Groundhog Day? The same sh*t different day? Maybe you had it too easy before COVID hit?

Transcription:

Robert Craven  00:07 

Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day. Okay, so a lot of agency owners have been saying to me, God is like Groundhog Day, every day feels like it is like the last day and the next day and every day is getting harder and tougher to actually differentiate from any other day because you're, you're you're pushing and you're trying to make stuff happen and, and you're, you know, you're getting your people going, and you're sorting your marketing out, and you're sorting the money out and you're worrying about, you know, will, when will the economy pick back up? And if you get the economy to pick back up, how is that going to affect everything else that goes on? And it's just tough, and it's just hard work? Well, you know, hey, guess what, guys? That is life. I mean, what did you expect? You had it so easy. We had it so easy, pre COVID. Yeah.  

Robert Craven  01:10 

And now it is kind of tough for most people, not for everyone. But for most people, it's pretty damn tough. So what does that pretty damn tough look like? Well, that pretty damn tough means doing getting the grunt work done doing the grunt work done. But with a bigger picture, because you're the you're the agency leader, it's not for you to be doing all the grunt work you employ, you recruit, you train people to do the grunt work, they have processes, and they have systems that they they apply.  

Robert Craven  01:42 

So you're leading this? Yes, it is about doing the difficult stuff. And many moons ago, I kind of coined this phrase in praise of the dull, boring stuff. Well, too bloody right right now in praise of the dull, boring stuff, that people who are going to be the winners of the situation we're in right now are the ones who grind through it. The ones who actually push through and make the difference and get results by applying themselves hour by hour, minute by minute, not as an individual but as an agency so that the agency actually does all the good stuff. So it measures the right stuff. It puts in place marketing campaign that does a B testing on its marketing campaign, it creates a really great customer experience really good process for when clients join really good ways of engaging with clients. 

Robert Craven  02:35 

 That's what the really good digital digital agencies do. And they make that happen. And yes, it is a bit boring, going back to basics and starting with the very fabric of what your offer is and checking out whether your offer is still relevant. And checking out how your clients have changed their needs and change their wants and change their behaviour.  

Robert Craven  02:58 

But hey, you know, who said life is fair, and it's the agencies that are doing that that are coming out smelling of roses, it's the agencies which are putting in that effort, that effort to to understand how they need to be different understand what needs to happen to be on the winning side. So, you know, Groundhog Day, it may well feel like that. Is that a problem? I don't think it is you look at all the books on great stuff. You know, people weightlifters are hahaha, you know, practising eight hours a day doing weights for the Olympics, which happens once every four years. The difference between the successful weightlifters and the unsuccessful ones. No, they all have to do the grind. But some of them actually recognise that the grind that's that's what you have to do. You have to do the grind. And they somehow managed to gamify or enjoy the grind. Because they recognise that it's not all about that one day every four years. And it's the ones that succeed in putting in the legwork that they win on the day and I think it's the same for agencies. 

Robert Craven  04:07 

 There is a lot of grind going on that that's why I say in praise of the dull, boring stuff. But those of you who have the systems and the processes and the people in place to actually put that grind in place and up smelling of roses. Thank you very much.