Written by: Annette Densham, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
A step-by-step success guide that’s available online sounds incredible. It’s free, and you can tap into the information that seems like it is written just for you. Especially if you’ve just launched a business and you’re looking for a tried and trusted pathway to help you on your way. The truth is there aren’t seven steps to success. While these quick, to-the-point hacks can give you a helicopter view of the challenge you are trying to solve, nothing beats hard work and working with specialists who know their craft.
There’s no cookie-cutter ladder to success. Real success relies on identifying one challenge at a time and remedying it with an appropriate solution. Success isn’t a ladder with an end destination that’s achieved by completing a predetermined set of tasks with no consideration for your personality type, your background, your skills, or your resources. It’s a recurring two-step program — identify your challenge, innovate a solution, and repeat over and over.
These seven (or however many) steps articles summarize a complex and in-depth process. They oversimplify a long and slow journey. If you thought the seven steps sounded easy enough, it’s not surprising because that’s precisely how they get you.
1. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
Is the article selling you a this-is-all-you-need solution? You can’t achieve success using only an article. Success can’t be bottled and sold or offered to you through a website. Your journey will change the predicted trajectory that you are on alongside the unique obstacles in your life. There is no one-size-fits-all solution here.
2. Seven-step articles make it too easy. You know that annoying stereotypical sales-guy voice you hear on TV infomercials? They keep saying things like "that’s not all" and "it’s hassle-free," which kind of gets your attention, but at the same, you know you are being marketed to. Websites use the same tactics, except consumers haven’t learned how to recognize that yet. If a seven-step article promises to make your life easier, solve your problems, or give you all the information you’ve ever needed to succeed — it’s a marketing ploy. Success is never easy. Success is not achieved with the cut and paste technique. 3. They don't consider existing circumstances. Existing circumstances give you the fuel needed for your journey to success. Perhaps you have a small budget, perhaps you have knowledge but no budget, or maybe you have a big budget but need guidance on allocating it wisely. Your existing circumstances change your entire trajectory to success. Each human is equipped with a unique set of skills, weaknesses, tendencies, and preconceived notions. These all contribute to the road ahead of you. An individualized consultation will address these factors. A seven-step article assumes you have what you need to make this happen. 4. They don't take into account cash flow or budget. There’s no way a step article can estimate the cost of the seven steps and broken that down to suit a personal budget. Plus, unexpected expenses pop up. Each seven-step would typically be broken down into another seven, if not more, steps. Those sub-steps would depend on your obstacles, including budget and cash flow. Perhaps there are some fundraising steps sprinkled in between the other steps? Maybe you must account for higher prices than you anticipated? 5. They neglect to cover people's skill levels. It’s all good and well to tell someone they are likely to gain 2500 followers by running Google Ads, but you have never created an advert? There’s a great deal of assumptions in these articles. They assume readers have the budget and cash flow, and they also assume that the readers are equipped with the same skills as they are. Once again, those seven steps will have their categories. Most people will need to upskill themselves to follow each step, like learning how to operate Google’s advertising platform to fulfill the step entitled 'run an ad.'
How to tell when a seven-step article is peddling to you?
Click on steps. Look for an advert on the screen. This will tell you if the article had been written to make money off the ads.
So much text. Are you scrolling and scrolling? Do they keep using the same terms over and over? Do they have "sign up now" or other opt-in links everywhere?
Feel like your ego is being stroked? These sellers want you to feel like a misunderstood victim who has so much power given the perfect opportunity. Recognize when your ego is being stroked to make a sale.
Do they speak to your fears? Are they planting concerns? They often target that sensation of struggling with the emotive language.
Recognize adjectives. Emotive language is powerful. Look for adjectives to get you excited: thrilling, exhilarating, terrific, titillating.
Are they asking many questions? This is also a typical sales tool designed to disarm you.
What can you do to invest in your success truly?
Firstly, ignore seven-step articles.
Secondly, take an online personality test to help you identify your strengths. For example, an aptitude test may reveal how you react to different scenarios and where your strengths lie. This can help you identify opportunities that will play to your strengths.
Remain adaptable. Embracing change, even when it’s out of your hands, has to be one of the most valuable survival skills for individuals and businesses. When you’re thrown a curveball, learn to dance! Seven steps leave out the bit where each stage comes with backward motion, side steps, forward leaps, and need to adapt. This is the second part of the ongoing two-step program to succeed in innovating to source a solution.
Annette Densham, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Multi-award-winning PR specialist Annette Densham is considered the go-to for all things business storytelling, award submission writing, and assisting business leaders in establishing themselves as authorities in their field. She has shared her insights into storytelling, media, and business across Australia, UK, and the US speaking for Professional Speakers Association, Stevie Awards, Queensland Government, and many more. Three times winner of the Grand Stevie Award for Women in Business, gold Stevie International Business Award, and a finalist in Australian Small Business Champion awards, Annette audaciously challenges anyone in small business to cast aside modesty, embrace their genius and share their stories.
