January 30, 2008

DIY is My Motto

Ever heard the phrase "If you want something done right, do it yourself"? I live by this creed, I really do. I've had a bad track record with crappy groups for projects since back in middle school. I always ended up getting shafted and doing the lion's share of the work. This trend continued through high school and even in college. Guess what? Some things never change.

I appreciate that this colleague took it into their own hands to notify their team of a new program we're launching soon. And sure, it's one less thing on my task list to do. But in their haste to notify everyone of something that's not even going live until next week, they made errors in the details. Email addresses must be correct. Telling someone where to find a link when they won't actually find a link there can be more confusing even though you're attempting to clear up an issue.

This is precisely why I was going to do this notice myself once I was ready. It's one thing to take a matter into your own hands, but when you're rushing to do it and not listening to the advice I'm giving (being the resident expert on hand) and not properly proofreading your email memo...well it's not doing anyone any favors.

The moral of this story? Rushing is not always best. The most important facet of sales and marketing is the message, and the message has to be right. It's okay to put off until tomorrow that which isn't mission critical and you don't really have time to do it today. If putting something off means that it will be done correctly instead of throw half-heartedly together then I'm all for procrastination. Deadlines are important, but when not faced with an immediate deadline then quality of message should supersede speed of message.

Manage your time effectively, and be sure that there's always quality in your work. Specialization is for insects!

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