Tenasu

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

The adrenaline of pushing the boundaries and hitting the next level can't be understated.

It's exhilarating, and can hook you faster than Colombia's finest (coffee) 🫣

There's always more to do, and bigger hills to climb.

But after 15 years in the trenches with business owners, boards, and marketing departments, you notice the patterns, and you start seeing the implication of poorly made decisions, and the pain of diminishing returns.

There's nothing worse than sprinting in the wrong direction, predicated off panic that is paraded around as 'gut instinct'.

Sometimes it is, most times it's not.

Instinct can play a huge role, but it needs to be tied to a framework for decision making.

Otherwise it's like a gambler that only talks about when they win (or when it works), ignoring the time it's sent them in the ditch (or in debt).

We've deliberately stayed quiet on our own marketing as we were firmly in the trenches with our own client led growth strategy.

We knew if we could dig in and help them win, we would too, and that would provide far more longevity (and enjoyment) in the process.

It worked, and now we're here to share the story.

We didn't want to add to the noise, there had to be a meaningful message for meaningful growth.

Now it's time.

11+ years | 450+ clients served | 100+ industries with a footprint of 30+ locations around the world.

A lot of wins, and a lot of lessons.

We've continued to narrow our focus, ask deeper questions, and really refine the driver behind our collective why.

We're focussing on what we do best, and ignoring the rest, and couldn't be more energised about what's next.

It feels like we're coming home to what we were truly meant to be as a company.

It's finally time to turn the page into our most exciting chapter yet.

More to come.

REVOLVING VS. EVOLVING | The difference in trying to grow, and actually doing it 📈

After working on 150+ businesses all across the world, there are some key differences between businesses that are primed for growth and those that need to build a better foundation first.

Without that understanding, the latter will almost always falter when they continuously hit the same ceiling and can't break through. They will always regress to what is comfortable and familiar and repeat the cycle until it eventually has diminishing returns.

Many of us have been super fortunate to reap the benefits of strong growth in a number of industries, I'd be lying if I said with TENASU wasn't a massive beneficiary of this as well.

The thing about markets - is they are constantly in flux, expanding and contracting - riding the wave with them sounds extremely risky.

As the saying goes - change is the only constant.

It's on the horizon, and preparing for it is crucial.

The good news is, it actually doesn't take much.

If you are an established business with a proven track record, just turning a few strategic dials can make all the difference in generating positive momentum and ensuring the growth can continue for years to come.

We dive more into the details in our latest article
>>> https://bit.ly/r-evolving

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 🧠♥⁠- 𝗠𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗵𝗶⁠

Too many businesses make the tragic misstep of thinking their marketing is ALL about them.⁠

It's not

⁠It IS, in fact, entirely about solving the problem of your prospect.

No matter how great a product or service may seem at the surface level, we are biologically and emotionally driven to make decisions to address a few key areas of need.⁠

There are always deeper sources of motivation rooted in unconscious feelings and interpersonal dynamics.

⁠Everything traces back to the source.⁠

So how do we use this process to inform better marketing activities?⁠

Focus on winning over the heart first, and the mind will follow.⁠

Read on here to find out a few key takeaways you can implement straight away [it's free - no opt in required]
⁠>> www.tenasu.com/blog-1/mind-slave-heart

[NEW ARTICLE] The Dance Between Marketing & Brand | Where to focus your energy for the best output 💡

As business owners, I think we are afraid to take our foot off the pedal for fear that we’ll lose it all…

But earlier this year, I decided to run a bit of an experiment, alternating areas of focus in my marketing to find out what truly moved the needle, and what was burning energy for the sake of ‘being busy’.

It really started a bigger conversation for me in terms of the energy involved in marketing, and the importance of focus to ensure we are leveraging our time, energy, and resources.

Without focus, we are essentially allowing all three to burn out like a forgotten candle, eventually collapsing into a puddle of itself.

The first step was to get clear on understanding what needs to be constant, and what we activities we can allow to ebb and flow.

It’s a dance between the essence (brand) and the energy (marketing)

So what’s the difference?

And more importantly, how do they play in concert with each other?

I take a deep dive in this article;
https://www.tenasu.com/blog-1/mktg-brand-dance

"Mostly, we don't buy products, or services - we are buying access to varying degrees of identity enhancement"

Identity is one of our most powerful motivators in the customer decision-making process and realistically isn't talked about enough in marketing meetings.

Whether we are conscious of it at the time or not, we buy things that allow us to express who we are (or the 'who' we want to project outwardly).

Whether it’s the gym class we choose to take,

The car we drive

The clothes we wear

The logos we bear

The self-expressive benefits of a product or service can be some of the most powerful magnets in drawing us to the sale.

We behave in the way that we see ourselves, we make decisions from that place - it’s the true driver of why we buy - to move closer to their ideal self through what they acquire.

As business owners, it’s important to understand this process.

What role does this purchase play in their life?

What outcome and experiences are they seeking?

And lastly, who are they striving to become?

The more we focus on what's important - the more efficient our delivery of message and campaign, and the better the result for everyone involved.

Old solutions don't work for new problems [the story of Mann Gulch]

Sometimes I’ll come across a chapter in a book, that explains a point so well, I just have to share the excerpt for exactly what it is.

The story of Mann Gulch in ‘The Road Less Stupid’ exemplifies the need for new skills and tools for new circumstances, rather than relying on past answers to survive.

When the environment radically changes and we are confronted with moments of uncertainty and danger, clinging to the old “right” way might seem like a good idea, but it can frequently create our worst case scenario.

We can’t rely on ‘what has always been’ when faced with problems, because our markets, our companies, and our problems evolve, and mutate.

Chances are, our go-to solutions for our previous problems are useless for the problems we currently face, and will face in the future.

So the key focus point needs to not be on the problem in its singularity, but our mode of problem solving.

Keith Cunningham (the author of TRLS), tells the story far better than I ever could, so I’ll link you to the story here
>> www.tenasu.com/blog-1/mann-gulch-fire

In the 1920’s, Post was the category leader in the ready-to-eat cereal game.⠀⁠

By the turn of the 1930’s, Kellogg’s was moving in and creating competition in the market.⠀⁠

At the time, breakfast cereal was still a relatively new concept.⠀⁠

People didn’t really understand ‘ready-made’ cereal.⠀⁠

At the time people were eating oatmeal, cream of wheat, and sometimes even salted meat and pickles for breakfast — which was wreaking havoc on their digestive systems.⠀⁠

So, when the Great Depression hit, no one had the playbook for how to continue growing consumer demand when community confidence (and resources) were drying up.⠀⁠

Because of a single proactive decision back in the 1930’s — Kellogg’s made moves which increased their market position, and lead to billions of increased sales over the past 90 years, and created some of the most recognisable brands in their space.⠀⁠

Read on here >> tenasu.com/blog-1/kelloggs-game-changer

In the world of business, the market doesn’t owe us anything, we are the ones that must lead with value and follow it through.⠀⁠

We can’t wait for the opportunity to fall in our lap, BUT, what if we knew exactly how many opportunities we needed to create, and the domino’s we needed to line up to predictably get the outcomes we were striving for?⠀⁠
⠀
To break through the glass ceiling and grow to new heights - we need to understand this success is the product of making more balanced decisions on a moment to moment basis.⠀⁠
⠀
In the marketing world, balanced decisions come from understanding the metrics that lead to a sale, and from there, creating a structure of how to consistently walk the right clients through this journey, while ensuring the math continues to stack up, profitably.⠀⁠
⠀
This is not about ‘task management’ or ‘tactics’ ⠀⁠
⠀
This is about investing in our essential marketing activities and pursuing them in a disciplined way.⠀⁠
⠀
Investing in your audience, communities, and partnerships - educating them and providing value on the front end.⠀⁠
⠀⁠
Building a pipeline of prospects that have voluntarily stepped forward to acquire your services as a qualified lead⠀⁠

All while, creating that system that bolsters retention, re-engagement, and advocation on the back end - this is the true driver of Lifetime Value.⠀⁠

I explain this in more detail on our latest blog >> tenasu.com/blog-1/majoring-in-minor