What happens to detractors?

If Leaders lead, and Followers follow, then what happens to Detractors? I guess the simple answer is that they get trampled under the movement.

In every movement there is only room for leaders and followers. The people who try to throw a monkey wrench into our plans, the ones who try to trip us up or bring us down, need to be treated as stepping stones. Trample them. Show no mercy. Beat them down and leave no doubt that they are nothing in the grand scheme of things. Movements can't be bothered with Detractors, and neither can those within the movement.

Of course, Detractors come in many forms too. Family or friends that want to keep us at a certain point in our lives (consciously or un-consiously), critics, rivals, or even just some unhappy asshat that likes to stir trouble. We, the determined, don't have time for Detractors. They are a detriment to our mission, our goal, our movement.

I know, you're going to say, but "family and friends"? Yep, love'em all you need to, but they have a choice. They can follow, they can get out of the way, or the can get trampled under the movement.

We can't let anyone stand in the way of our dreams, and as Artists, our dreams are all we really have. They're all we really are.

The Prospect of Scaling Back on Prospecting

Whether you're looking at this from the perspective of an artist, a label, or any other kind of small business viewpoint, the fact remains the same. We spend a shit ton of time prospecting for leads. Our next gig, our next record sale, our next client, our next opportunity, our next.....................whatever. When do we make time to do what we REALLY do?

I know that the argument can be made that the economy has people pulling back on their spending and that we have to work harder to find the next paycheck, but do we really have to? That wasn't meant to sound like a spoiled kid stomping their feet about something they don't WANT to do, but a serious question. Do we REALLY need to spend so much time on prospecting? Of course the answer will be different for different folks, but I've been thinking about this a little bit. Maybe too much, really.

The object of prospecting is to convince people that they need what we offer. Why don't we just call it sales? That's what it is. We're trying to tell people that they need our music, that they can't live without seeing us this coming Friday at 10 PM at such and such a bar. Why are we spending so much time trying to convince people? Isn't that what our music is supposed to be doing? Isn't that what our marketing plan is supposed to do?

What if we just did what we do best? Why not just make what we make, and do what we do, and maybe just talk about what it is we're doing and making? It may take a little longer to reach all the right people, but we won't be wasting valuable energy in trying to convince the non-believers into buying our stuff. We won't be throwing resources into the wind of ambivalence.

There's a lot to be said for the tactic of hard work and diligence. It will be noticed by those who appreciate it and it will be skimmed over by those that don't, but in the long run, you'll have a following of ONLY those who are really interested in what it is that you do. Plus you'll have the added benefit of all that extra prospecting time that you can roll into making what you make and doing what you do.

Don't forget to talk about what it is you're doing though. Set up a twitter account and tweet about what's going on in the studio, or in the office today. Set up your Facebook account and periodically update about what's going on. Let your followers know what's up and they will tell others. Grow your followers organically, it's not about the numbers, it's about the quality. Most importantly, use that time to better yourself and your product. Be worth following and you'll see that people will talk about you. The more that happens, the less prospecting you'll have to do.

One last thing. Too much of a "sales" kind of attitude makes you look like a salesman. What does THAT do for your image?

When Bigger Is NOT Better

I've had a rash of Twitter adds recently that I just don't understand. How is it that these folks can have thousands of followers, yet have never posted a single tweet? No, it's not a private account that I just couldn't see. I mean, these folks have NO tweets! What does a person gain from following them, and more importantly, what do they gain from having you follow them? I mean, I don't know if you're following because you have a strong attachment to what I'm doing, or if you just want me to build your numbers. I certainly can't be a fan of what you're doing if you don't do anything.

The really got me thinking about the quality of our followings. I mean, whether you're building a following for your music or your marketing firm, do you want thousands of cold to luke warm followers, or do you want a couple hundred red hot and rabid followers?

Why the rush for quantity when it's been proven over and over again that quality wins out, every time?

Our mailing lists, our Social Media followings, our Fan Clubs, all have one thing in common. They can be a kick ass database of our loyal followers and strongest evangelists, or they can be a boat anchor full of useless contacts that will, at most, only moderately support what we're doing.

Wouldn't it be time well spent to build a following of TRUE supporters and allies? Makes sense to me.