There’s an ultimate test of physical endurance and mental fortitude: a six-day, 153.2 mile ultra marathon across the Sahara desert called the Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands). Competitors carry their own supplies as they compete in temperatures exceeding 120 degrees. The longest one-day distance covers 50.6 miles and includes 14.3 miles of sand dunes.
Four-time champion Mohamad Ahansal grew up in the Sahara. And in a place where most just try to survive, the skills Mohamad learned helped him become a winner in one of the most grueling footraces in the world. Since 1997, either Mohamad or his older brother, Lahcen, had won the race, until last year, when Rachid el Morabity, their trainee, beat Mohamad by seven minutes.
Morabity attributes his winning time to using a unique zigzag method to climb the large sand dunes that make up many miles of the race.
“Other runners, they go directly up the hill,” Morabity says. “They don’t notice the secret.”
Even though it’s easy enough to see the secret, instead of emulating the champion, competitors innovate their own improvements and try to barrel directly up the hill. Their intuition tells them that a straight line is the shortest distance and the shortest distance is always the quickest. Instead of learning from the proven results of the winner, they follow their less experienced intuition.
I used to think the same way. I’d learn a technique or a strategy from Dan Kennedy, and then I’d put my own spin on it. I’d say to myself “That may have worked for Dan, but I’m going to improve it and make it work even better for myself.”
It took me years to figure out that Dan’s technique was already improved. I was learning from the champion. There was no need for me to create my own innovations. Instead, I needed to get better at emulating what had already been proven to work.
I see people (who should know better) make this same mistake all the time. Instead of simply emulating what works, they try to make improvements. Or worse yet, they ignore the aspects that work and imitate the insignificant details.
They see, but they do not learn.
The information marketing business is about engineering a lifestyle. To do that, you identify a market, provide it with what it demands and create an automated system to maximize the value of your customers.
On its surface, this may appear difficult. It may seem like the harder way.
However, it’s similar to the Marathon des Sables champion’s “shortcut” of zigzagging back and forth while climbing sandy dues for miles. At first glance the zigzagging appears to add more distance. Why would you want to add steps when you are already running 50 miles through a desert?
It’s because when you are running 50 miles, adding a few feet through slogging sand in an uphill climb saves you a lot of energy. That saved energy helps you endure longer and reach the finish line more quickly.
Every day I hear from info-marketers who have fallen for a pitch about a product that is the info-marketing equivalent of running straight up the hill. It appears to be the faster approach to the inexperienced intuition. Yet although the results are clearly visible, these info-marketers do not learn.
If the info-marketing business seems difficult to you, it’s likely you are focusing on the wrong things. You’ve been sent charging up the hill. You are tired, and you are losing the race. Or worse, you were promised a shortcut that doesn’t really exist.
When you are ready for guidance about the real ways to reach your goals more quickly, and if you are willing to implement even if the strategies don’t, at first, appear intuitive to you, then it may be time for us to work together in a consulting relationship.
Here’s a recent comment from a consulting client who implemented a plan I created for him to improve the retention of his coaching clients:
“Working with Robert Skrob and implementing his strategies we’ve increased the size of our alumni program 156% generating an additional $1.4 million annually. Plus, our average lifetime customer value increased by 37%! Robert is my go to expert for forging a stronger relationship with our customers to provide them with greater value so they become more valuable, long-term customers.”
Richard Menneg, President
Automotive Training Institute
A lot of what we implemented at Automotive Training Institute looked to them like zigzagging up a sand dune when they had been barreling straight up for years. Intuitively, it looked harder and less efficient. There were several times when they asked doubtfully, “Are you sure that’s better?” Yet when they implemented, they discovered the secret. Sometimes, what appears to be a bit more difficult actually turns out to be the easier way.
If you are interested in the shortcuts used by champions in spite of the fact it may look more difficult to your natural intuition, contact Suzanne at 850/222-6000 for coaching availability.
Best wishes,
About Robert Skrob
