Channelone.TV: 80/20 Speed Theater

Thursday, August 15, 2013

80/20 Speed Theater

Mel,

My 2 oldest boys are theater mavens. They just performed "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. They had just 8 DAYS from tryouts to first performance.

Great Expectations is a 3 hour show! Everyone was floored that kids could memorize all those lines in a week, but they pulled it off.

During intermission, my wife Laura told me about another troupe that does a complete show in 24 hours. They don't sleep! They set up and rehearse and choreograph all night long. Curtain opens at 7pm the next night.

80/20 Speed Theater, baby. No time for polishing turds. The Show Must Go On.

That, my friend, is marketing in the 21st century. EVERYTHING is 80/20 Speed Theater. You don't spend months and years polishing un-tested anything. You roll it out in 24 hours or 8 days at the most, and you see if it lives or dies.

Fail Fast.

I have a friend named Erin who is a complete marketing newbie. She's not a "marketer" at all. She just makes crafts and sells them on Etsy. She had us over for dinner. My advice to her:

"Buy the sponsored listing on Etsy and spend the $25 a day *just to see if anyone wants it.* Then if it doesn't work, you lost your 25 bucks, but at least you know better than to beat a dead horse."

She GOT IT. One more human being rescued from a prison of endless perfectionism and months waiting for the Good Ship Hope to never arrive.

Perry Marshall

P.S.: AdWords Boot Camp Digital is 80/20 Speed Theater for Google AdWords. It's Action Jackson within 48 hours. Cold start to full-steam ahead in 30 days -- *and you build a machine that can bring you customers for years*.