Gaming the system

You can game the system, or you can be good. Good means quality instead of quantity. Content instead of keywords. Usable instead of sellable. Good is a hell of a lot harder, but it lasts. Once you’re there, you never forget it. It’s part of you. Good means you get to live life in the first person. You take the journey you want. You care about the things you want. People remember good. They trust it.

How do you get your sales? You can nag, hound, and chase. You can send more reminders, offer more deals, and make each call out louder and louder until the message is crystal clear – everyone out there is a piece of meat with a big dollar sign on their back – or you can connect with people and build a following. Trust, belief, interest – these are the currencies you want.

The problem with gaming the system is people always figure it out. And fast. The game is always bigger than you are. Maybe a handful can get outside of it and rewrite the rules, but that’s even harder than being good. What works now fails tomorrow. And maybe that’s always been true. But what isn’t is that the here and now can be measured in days or weeks instead of months or years. The chase takes more and more and the reward pays less and less. In this market, attention spans are stretched so thin, they’re ready to snap.

Everyone likes to measure progress by the money. But money alone won’t factor in momentum, dedication, depth, or commitment. Not from you. Not from your fans. If you buy something because it’s 50% off, do you come back when it’s not? You do when you buy something because it blows you away at full price. Don’t think about what it takes to get people in the door. Think about what it takes to keep them around. Build a relationship. What do your actions say? Do they say you’re in it for them or for the money? Think about growing, not profiting.

The market isn’t waiting for your arrival. The marketing isn’t watching your profit margin. If people don’t remember who you are, and if they’re not sharing your information, it’s not because they don’t get you, your SEO sucks, or you didn’t post 100 pictures instead of 40. It’s because you’re not giving them something to remember. Be good, and you’ll give them something to remember.