Exchanging How for What

I had an enjoyable meeting with a large advertising agency yesterday. The EVP I was meeting with told a familiar tale of how agencies often do their best thinking before they land a piece of business. This is true because that’s the only time that they’re only thinking and not doing.

He went on to explain that once an agency lands the business, the minutia of the day-to-day takes over. At that point, the how has overtaken the what. The thinking is overwhelmed by the doing.

We both came to the realization that this is more true in digital than anywhere else. How you’re going to do something takes 95% of your effort. What you’re going to do gets the 5% that’s leftover.

In order to do great work and generate high return on advertising spend (ROAS) for your clients, you need to focus on the what. That’s your where your value is. You need the how to take care of itself.

Figure out how to have your how and your what switch places. Put 95% of your effort into thinking about what will work best for your clients. It’s good for your business. And good for your sanity.