“… say they did have a hammer, but it was not a good hammer or not the correct hammer for the type of work they were doing. That’s a big problem too!.”
Armand Morin
Let’s talk about tools.
Every business has a boat load of tools to work with. For this article I’m talking about tools specifically for your Internet Marketing business. My business is an “online” business, so my primary tool is a computer.
When I buy a tool, I do not want to skimp on it because I’ve discovered that it actually cost you more money to try to pinch a penny, in the long run, when you skimp on tools. I’m not
only talking about subpar tools, but I’m also talking about have the correct tool for the job.
As an example, imagine someone building a house without a hammer. When it came to pounding nails, they decided they could get by with a screwdriver or a wrench. Sure, they might be able to pound in the nails, but it would be terribly inefficient, and they’d bend a lot of them. The job would take 10 times longer to finish and cost a lot more money because of that and the wasted bent nails.
Let’s change that up and say they did have a hammer, but it was not a good hammer or not the correct hammer for the type of work they were doing. That’s a big problem too!
When I was young, I worked construction with my grandfather. I used a hammer every day while doing roofing or siding. I didn’t think much about it because the hammer was the tool everyone used for this type of work. It was the best tool available back then.
Then, not to long ago, I was driving by a house and saw a crew shingling a house. Instead of the sound of hammers I heard the rapid bang, bang, bang of a pneumatic nail gun. I was amazed at how much faster they could do the job than I and my brothers did years so many years ago. Sure, you can still use a hammer to shingle, and maybe some people still do, but it’s no longer the correct tool. That nail gun is a much better tool.
OK, back to my internet business. The main tool I need is a computer. Then I need other tools to enhance the use of the computer.
For example, I might need a…
- USB hub
- Remote keyboard (I use a laptop)
- Mouse and mouse pad
- External monitor(s) and the means to plug them into the computer
- A stand for the monitors to raise them to the correct height so I don’t get a sore neck from looking down all day
You see what I mean? Having the correct tools enables me to work faster and relieves excess strain on my body and mind. These tools are absolutely necessary in order to work efficiently.
On the other hand, I could cut corners and just use my laptop. After all it has a screen, keyboard, and built-in mouse pad. In fact, I do use just the laptop when I travel because it is the best tool when I travel.
So, even though I could work with just a laptop, it doesn’t mean it’s the best tool when I’m working in my home office. The bigger monitors raised to the correct level and the keyboard at just the correct height make me much more productive during the hours I spend at my desk. They also are better for my neck, back, and general wellbeing.
My chair is also an important tool. I could get by with a folding chair or hard plastic chair but when you consider the hours upon hours I sit at my desk, an ergonomic chair is a much better tool.
And while my laptop may be my primary tool, there are also tools within the laptop. As an example, I use Adobe Audition to record almost anything audio. In fact, when I do videos, I extract the audio and import it into Adobe Audition and render it to remove noise, enhance the sound, and ensure the audio levels are good.
Along with Audition, Adobe has an entire suite of tools called Adobe Creative Cloud. I pay monthly for access to this suite of creative tools. You might be thinking, “I don’t want to pay monthly for my tools”. You can check it out at www.adobe.com.
My reply to you is, “Why not? What’s your problem with it?” Think about it. I spend around $50 a month to give me the tools I need and use daily. For example, on any given day, I might need Adobe Audition, After Effects, Photoshop, Premier Pro, etc.
Spending right at fifty dollars a month for tools like that is, in my business, a huge bargain. Not only do I have 24/7 access to all these tools, but I am also ensured of always having the most up to date version of the tools. The use of just one of these tools can make me hundreds of times more than the cost of the tool with just one sale. So, it would be foolish for me to skimp on this.
Another tool that I use all the time is Camtasia. I use it daily to record my computer screen. I use it to record sales videos that include what I recorded on my screen. There are lessor tools that can do almost the same thing, and some of them are pretty good, but I think Camtasia does the best job for me.
While $300 is a lot of money, it’s well worth it, and it’s a great tool you will be using it for years and years if you are doing any online marketing.
Think about this. If I spend $300 for Camtasia and use it to create just one PowerPoint video sales letter, in the first week or so that sales letter might make me $50,000 to $100,000.
So…is that tools worth $300? Yes! I would be a fool not to invest in it. This is how you have to start thinking about the best and correct tools needed for your business to succeed. These items are not just pieces of software. They are tools to help you make more money.
Having the right tool at the right time saves me time and so much energy which helps me make so much more money.
When you look at tools that you have you to pay monthly for, it’s important to take into consideration how often you will use them. You have to be able to justify the monthly expense or if it’s better to pay someone else to do it. If you find yourself frequently saying, “Man, I wish I had this tool or that tool,” you’re probably losing money by not having it.
Tools also need to be upgraded periodically. There comes a time, every few years, where you need to bite the bullet and upgrade your computer. That’s just a fact. At some point your old computer becomes a hindrance instead of a tool.
Let’s look at my computer. When I upgraded to my current computer my old one was five years old. I think I paid around $2,000 for that old one. So that comes out to $400 per year for that computer. Notice, I didn’t say that computer “cost” me $400 a year. Why? Because that computer made me hundreds of thousands of dollars over those five years.
But when I noticed that the old computer was getting slower and slower at completing the tasks, I needed it for, I knew it was time to start looking around for a new one. I process 10 to 12 hours of video every month. Processing those videos is very time consuming so processing speed is very important to me. Not only was it now taking longer to process, but it was also slowing down everything else on my computer. So, I bit the bullet and bought a new Mac. Then came the big shock. A video that took four hours to process on my old computer took only 20 minutes on my new one! That proves that not skimping and having the right tool at the right time makes you money.
I’ll admit it. I’m one of the biggest geeks when it comes to tools. I don’t recklessly buy them. I research and research and research. Honestly, I’m an endless researcher when looking for the right tool for the job.
I’m not saying you need all the tools out there. I’m not even saying you need the same tools as me. The point I’m making is… based upon what you do in your business, find the tools that are necessary in order to make your job easier.
Sometimes it’s big things like expensive software or a new computer. At other times it can be smaller things like a new microphone or even smaller, like a cup to put your pens in. Sometimes it may be something that makes your work area a more pleasant place.
For example, fourteen or fifteen years ago I bought a Bose sound system for my office. It cost me $300 or $400. I still use it today. It was a great investment. It made my work environment a more pleasant place to be.
Not too long ago I was talking to my wife, Marianna, about buying a piece of expensive software that I needed. My wife was reluctant to spend that kind of money. So, I sent her a quote that I used back when I was selling vacuum cleaners. The quote was from James Kirby, the founder of Kirby vacuum cleaners.
“It’s better to spend a little more and get a lot more than it is to spend a little less and get a lot less.”
Armand Morin
I’m a big proponent of finding the right tool by researching and making sure I’m making the right decision in order to get the biggest value out of it in the end. If you’re not using the right tool, you are wasting money.
Now, I also realize that this goes by a budget as well, too. I understand, we all have budgets, and believe it or not, I have a budget, too. I don’t like just spending money on random things. But when I have it in my head that I need a specific tool for something I will focus and figure out how to get that tool even though it may be outside of my budget. I’m also always thinking about how much money it will make me on the back end because that is the key to knowing if I really need it or not.
I’ll leave you with this thought—get the right tool for the right job because having the right tools to do your job greatly increases the amount of work you can get done in a given day!
