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Snake Oil, Jesus & A Crystal Ball

Author:

Brendan Ford

Sadly no. The headline of this piece is not the title of a new AI-produced Jimi Hendrix album (although that's not a bad idea) but instead a synopsis of the three clear trends we're seeing play out in the market right now. But before we get stuck in, if you spot a business owner, head in hand, looking a little despondent, throw them a few words of support. It's tough out there, and each and every operator is dealing with their own kind of problems. Some are being crushed under a pile of cash they've accumulated; others wish they had some of said cash. Some can't find staff; others want to strangle the ones they have. Either way, there's never been a more necessary time to come together as a business community and support one another. If we do, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Now onwards.

During every historic economic boom, when greed reaches feverish levels, the snake oil salesman rolls into town. From Tulip Mania in 1634 to the excesses of the 1980s all the way to the free-money market of 2020/21. Every industry faces shady characters promising rivers of gold in times of elevated commercial activity. Even marketing. And sadly, over the past three years, many have been fooled by such spruikers. With the economy tightening and businesses reviewing everything right now, it's a perfect time to check if you're 'The Mark'.

Sadly no. The headline of this piece is not the title of a new AI-produced Jimi Hendrix album (although that's not a bad idea) but instead a synopsis of the three clear trends we're seeing play out in the market right now. But before we get stuck in, if you spot a business owner, head in hand, looking a little despondent, throw them a few words of support. It's tough out there, and each and every operator is dealing with their own kind of problems. Some are being crushed under a pile of cash they've accumulated; others wish they had some of said cash. Some can't find staff; others want to strangle the ones they have. Either way, there's never been a more necessary time to come together as a business community and support one another. If we do, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Now onwards.

During every historic economic boom, when greed reaches feverish levels, the snake oil salesman rolls into town. From Tulip Mania in 1634 to the excesses of the 1980s all the way to the free-money market of 2020/21. Every industry faces shady characters promising rivers of gold in times of elevated commercial activity. Even marketing. And sadly, over the past three years, many have been fooled by such spruikers. With the economy tightening and businesses reviewing everything right now, it's a perfect time to check if you're 'The Mark'.

Here's five things to look out for:

1. Advertising that has a young person yelling obnoxious dribble about ROAS (Return On Advertising Spend) into the camera with a fast-paced edit and flashy subtitles, often involving an empty warehouse or fancy cars.
2. Said person promotes results of 4x or 5x ROAS (Um, that's 20-25% of revenue in advertising spend, definitely not profitable in the real world).
3. They don't have a physical office or employees.
4. They breach confidentiality/ethics by disclosing a client's business name and their advertising results.
5. They're selling a course.

Here's five things to look out for:

1. Advertising that has a young person yelling obnoxious dribble about ROAS (Return On Advertising Spend) into the camera with a fast-paced edit and flashy subtitles, often involving an empty warehouse or fancy cars.
2. Said person promotes results of 4x or 5x ROAS (Um, that's 20-25% of revenue in advertising spend, definitely not profitable in the real world).
3. They don't have a physical office or employees.
4. They breach confidentiality/ethics by disclosing a client's business name and their advertising results.
5. They're selling a course.

Snake Oil, Jesus & A Crystal Ball

Right now, every business owner wants more from less. Which is a bit like turning water into wine. Hence where Jesus comes in. Well, it's actually possible. The more bit, not the wine bit. We review prospective clients marketing every day. On average, a business wastes over 25% of its advertising spend through mismanagement. Worse yet, their website is so poorly optimised for conversion that they're converting a tenth of the customers they should be. So yes, turning water into wine and getting more from less is possible if you know how to do it. Efficiency is everything in business right now. Praying or hoping that performance will improve won't work. But getting an expert who actually actions, not just talks, will make a world of difference.

In this game, clients expect you to have the answers. They expect you to know what the future holds, when the music may stop and where the gold is hidden. Luckily, I have a crystal ball, metaphorically speaking. One that's made up of 20 years of analysing businesses, advertising and the economy. Researching, testing and applying what I've learnt. It's this that provides the context that my crystal ball relies on. So, what's it saying, you might ask? Well, spending patterns will continue to be both predictable and emotional.

For those who have responsibilities like families, businesses and fixed incomes they will predictably cut back and rationalise their spending because the consciences of not are so severe. Those without a mortgage, a family to care for, a business to run, or any genuine commitments (possibly ignorance too) will pour money into emotionally gratifying activities. It's a filter that can be overlayed on your product, service or profession to determine what your future likely holds and how to plan for it.

We're seeing huge growth opportunities for those businesses running eyes wide open into the next stage of the economy. It's a time when others start to falter; those with a growth mindset will get ahead in leaps and bounds. As others cut back, the real operators go harder. After all, business is a marathon, not a sprint. And right now, there's a lot of people feeling they've crossed the finish line after the last two years, when in actual fact, they're just on lap one.

Snake Oil, Jesus & A Crystal Ball

Right now, every business owner wants more from less. Which is a bit like turning water into wine. Hence where Jesus comes in. Well, it's actually possible. The more bit, not the wine bit. We review prospective clients marketing every day. On average, a business wastes over 25% of its advertising spend through mismanagement. Worse yet, their website is so poorly optimised for conversion that they're converting a tenth of the customers they should be. So yes, turning water into wine and getting more from less is possible if you know how to do it. Efficiency is everything in business right now. Praying or hoping that performance will improve won't work. But getting an expert who actually actions, not just talks, will make a world of difference.

In this game, clients expect you to have the answers. They expect you to know what the future holds, when the music may stop and where the gold is hidden. Luckily, I have a crystal ball, metaphorically speaking. One that's made up of 20 years of analysing businesses, advertising and the economy. Researching, testing and applying what I've learnt. It's this that provides the context that my crystal ball relies on. So, what's it saying, you might ask? Well, spending patterns will continue to be both predictable and emotional.

For those who have responsibilities like families, businesses and fixed incomes they will predictably cut back and rationalise their spending because the consciences of not are so severe. Those without a mortgage, a family to care for, a business to run, or any genuine commitments (possibly ignorance too) will pour money into emotionally gratifying activities. It's a filter that can be overlayed on your product, service or profession to determine what your future likely holds and how to plan for it.

We're seeing huge growth opportunities for those businesses running eyes wide open into the next stage of the economy. It's a time when others start to falter; those with a growth mindset will get ahead in leaps and bounds. As others cut back, the real operators go harder. After all, business is a marathon, not a sprint. And right now, there's a lot of people feeling they've crossed the finish line after the last two years, when in actual fact, they're just on lap one.

Snake Oil, Jesus & A Crystal Ball

Right now, every business owner wants more from less. Which is a bit like turning water into wine. Hence where Jesus comes in. Well, it's actually possible. The more bit, not the wine bit. We review prospective clients marketing every day. On average, a business wastes over 25% of its advertising spend through mismanagement. Worse yet, their website is so poorly optimised for conversion that they're converting a tenth of the customers they should be. So yes, turning water into wine and getting more from less is possible if you know how to do it. Efficiency is everything in business right now. Praying or hoping that performance will improve won't work. But getting an expert who actually actions, not just talks, will make a world of difference.

In this game, clients expect you to have the answers. They expect you to know what the future holds, when the music may stop and where the gold is hidden. Luckily, I have a crystal ball, metaphorically speaking. One that's made up of 20 years of analysing businesses, advertising and the economy. Researching, testing and applying what I've learnt. It's this that provides the context that my crystal ball relies on. So, what's it saying, you might ask? Well, spending patterns will continue to be both predictable and emotional.

For those who have responsibilities like families, businesses and fixed incomes they will predictably cut back and rationalise their spending because the consciences of not are so severe. Those without a mortgage, a family to care for, a business to run, or any genuine commitments (possibly ignorance too) will pour money into emotionally gratifying activities. It's a filter that can be overlayed on your product, service or profession to determine what your future likely holds and how to plan for it.

We're seeing huge growth opportunities for those businesses running eyes wide open into the next stage of the economy. It's a time when others start to falter; those with a growth mindset will get ahead in leaps and bounds. As others cut back, the real operators go harder. After all, business is a marathon, not a sprint. And right now, there's a lot of people feeling they've crossed the finish line after the last two years, when in actual fact, they're just on lap one.

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