aka, how trying to disconnect from my day-to-day work failed and the lesson I learned from it...

When it comes to my day-to-day job, I have this habit of staying connected to my work at every hour. I've even woken up in the night and responded to emails or checked on things to ensure they were running correctly. I know I'm far from alone on this...

I do, however, have a silly game that I like to play on my iPhone that is both challenging and a bit mind-numbing. It's my disconnect from work and sometimes life in general (while I love each of them, 4 kids combined with running a business can require a random escape from time to time). The game I'm referring to is called Bricks and Balls (iOS| Android).

The premise of this game is super simple. You have a stream of balls that you can launch forward in about a 160degree radius. Ahead of you, on the screen, are blocks with numbers. These numbers represent the number of hits each block can take before you make them disappear.

So how does this related to marketing? Oh there are so many ways... I'll try to be brief:

  1. People are like bricks with numbers on them. Marketing has to have quite a few touches to be successful just like the bricks need to be touched multiple times by the balls to explode. This is why multiple marketing venues are important. It's also why a sustainable marketing budget is important along with a bit of patience.
  2. Good marketing is akin to an educated guess just like the aim in this game. You can see the path ahead of you. You can see the bricks... errr people and know that they have a certain amount of touches to land as clients. You can plot your path with a good amount of research and knowledge. Then, as you fire off your marketing, you can see the results head in a different direction than you expected. It wasn't nearly as successful as you had hoped - or, it was far more successful than you had ever expected.
  3. It can seem easy at first but it gets far more difficult as you progress. I don't know if you're like me, but when I started Wapiti, my first few clients were easy to land. I inherited some from my business partner at the time and we landed a couple more quickly. This is just like the game. The first 50 levels are fairly easy but you can sense it getting harder and harder as you complete them.
  4. Mastery takes time and patience. The more you play this game, you get a feel for how to launch the balls at the bricks to decimate them. At a certain point, that is imperative as you stand no chance without this knowledge and "feeling" for the game. Marketing is much the same way. It doesn't guarantee you results but being in the realm of marketing and continuing to pursue excellence allows you a better opportunity at succeeding.
  5. There are little "cheats" along the way. The game offers little bonuses you can use to help you clear obstacles out of your way. I'm always happy to use the bonuses the game gives me to succeed. Sometimes life "throws you a bone" and you stumble across a great client or you figure out the exact way to say something to covert. Don't feel bad because you were lucky - that's part of the game. Own it and move ahead!

There is a divergence here... playing this game is a fantastic brain relaxer for me. It is the opposite of earning money and success but it's a necessity (the relaxation, not the game) when it comes to my mental state. Marketing, on the other hand, can help you climb to the next level.

Need Bricks & Balls Pointers? Need Marketing Help?