The magician wears his tall hat and pulls off his tricks. And the entertained crowd cheers on. We’ve always been mesmerized by tricks and we always want to find out how to do the trick. How did the bunny fit in the hat?
How did it get there?
How come he knew which number I picked every time. Tricks and hats are indeed amazing.
In business, we feel the same way about tricks. We are mesmerized by its grandiose promises. We’re always seeking them out. To get more attention. To get more people in the door, more subscribers, and to get more people to click the buy link. Many have strong faith in these tricks and they’d happily pay for them.
The thing with tricks is that they play an illusion on you.
Yes, it sure sounds great to be ranking first for a popular search term and you may have gotten more people to open your email but did those really bring in significant awareness and conversion? For most companies, the answer is No. And even though only a very tiny number has been successful in using these tricks, this doesn’t discourage other businesses. They still believe in the magic of the hat and tricks. Blind faith and luck - those two are never a wise business strategy.
Here’s a neat trick though. Listen to the people you want to help. Start there.
