Why tacticians get spanked by strategists

I had a buddy in junior high named Chris Burns who convinced me that joining the chess club was a good idea when I was around 12 years old. 

(This was the same friend who convinced me to join the track team and that worked out well back then so I decided to go along with the chess thing).

I'm not sure how he persuaded me (clearly a master marketer) but I didn't last long. 2 weeks tops.

Because it was spring outside and growing up as a kid in the prairies you did NOT waste nice spring weather. Especially to play chess.

I'm not knocking chess. It's an AMAZING game and I juuuuuust about got back into it after binge-watching "The Queen's Gambit" on Netflix. 

But it's also not exactly an easy game to play. Especially when you start playing against people who actually know what they're doing. 

I mean sure, you can whip out the ol' family chess board and knock off a few rooks just for fun with friends, but the literal second ANYONE knows what they're doing (even just a little) this fun little game becomes a bloodbath. 

Pawns falling left right and center. Queens taking one for the team. Knights doing what knights do best and dying while trying to protect their kingdoms. But in the end... it's futile. 

And I learned this hard. But fast. 

You see during my 2-week chess 'career' I managed to learn a few nifty tricks. Some tactics. And a couple chess-hacks. 

Basically, I learned a few different cool little opening moves that if everything went just right... would allow me to win fast and look like an all-start chess champ. 

But the problem was that these were tactics. Not strategies. So the second that I played anyone that knew how to counter against my few beginner level tactics - I was dead in the water.

And so it is with marketing.

Marketing on the outside looks fun. Simple. Maybe even a little bit silly (...after all, a marketers tools often consist of social media, video, emails, and some "cute" little infographics and "stories")

Tactics can work. But they rarely last long. And when pitted against a superior competitor they don't have a chance.

Yet still, most marketers today focus on tactics, tricks, hacks, and how they can “beat the algorithms”.

Foolish.

Because while it may work today. It's unlikely to work tomorrow. Or the day after that. 

This is why my philosophy is (and always has been) “Strategy First”.

This in turn has allowed me, my clients, and students, to consistently build, grow, and scale powerful, profitable, and freedom providing businesses - regardless of what channel, network, or platform we use. 

It's not the method, it's the madness behind it.

Here are some Mini-Marketing Workshops to help get you started on the right strategic foot.

They're all under $50 and they can all be completed in under 2 hours each. And I back them all up with a 100% money back guarantee for the ultimate "nothing to lose everything to gain" opportunity. 

Choose your own adventure and get started now:

1. (Marketing Plan) I want a step by step system to attract clients, make sales, and grow my business to 6 or 7-figures… and beyond: http://modernmarketingplan.com/
2. (Content Marketing) I’m not sure how to create content marketing that people actually want to consume and that turns them into clients and customers: http://contentmarketingchampion.com/
3.  (Email Marketing) I know email marketing can grow my business but I’m not sure how to actually write emails that sell without feeling... "salesy": http://perfectemailscript.com/

Talk soon,

Adam "strategy first" Erhart

PS - “These young guys are playing checkers. I’m out there playing chess.” - Kobe Bryant