I took my car to the jet wash at the local petrol station earlier today.

It had only recently been cleaned, so it was hardly filthy. Unfortunately, the frikkin’ birds had apparently spent yesterday using the entire car as target practice for a bombing mission.

This particular jet wash is quite unusual. Instead of buying a Bronze, Silver or Gold wash and being forced through a predetermined sequence, you buy time and choose whichever function you need.

Pressure wash. Shampoo. Snow foam. Rinse.

I much prefer it because you can use the particular parts you need without having to go through the entire programme.

Unfortunately, when I pressed the snow foam button, I discovered there was a hole in the hose. Foam and water came shooting towards me, although I managed to switch it off before getting properly soaked.  Trying to be helpful, I reported it to the attendant so that the next person did not receive an unexpected shower.

“Thanks,” she said. “I’ll shut the machine down.”

I immediately regretted telling her.

There was nothing wrong with the rest of the machine. All she needed to do was put a note over the snow foam button. People could still use the pressure wash, shampoo and rinse functions perfectly well.

But as far as she was concerned, if one function could not be used, the entire machine had to be taken out of service.

And here is the really frustrating part.

A whole bunch of people will now be negatively affected by that decision. People drive specifically to that petrol station because the jet wash gives them control over which functions they use.

Most of those customers would have happily used a slightly damaged machine with one unavailable function rather than having no machine at all.

But because one part was not perfect, the petrol station chose to stop helping everybody.

It reminded me of a conversation I have with clients surprisingly often.

“Why aren’t you posting?” I’ll ask. “It looks like your last post was six months ago.”

Then comes the list.

They haven’t finished planning their content.

Their website isn’t ready yet.

The funnel still needs work.

They haven’t perfectly mapped out their programme.

They might be holding an event, but they haven’t decided exactly what it will include.

They are waiting for the new branding, the photographs, the lead magnet, the landing page or the perfect offer.

Individually, every excuse sounds perfectly reasonable.

Collectively, they have become a very sophisticated explanation for doing absolutely nothing.

That is how avoidance works. It rarely announces itself by saying, “I am frightened of putting myself out there, so I am going to hide for another six months.”

It gives you sensible-sounding reasons to wait.

It tells you that you are being strategic. That you care about quality. That you just need to get a few more pieces in place before you begin.

And yes, those pieces may genuinely need attention.

But your website not being finished does not prevent you from posting something useful today.

Your funnel not being perfect does not prevent you from starting conversations.

Your programme not being mapped out to the final minute does not prevent you from talking about the problem it will eventually solve.

One unfinished piece should not shut down your entire marketing machine.

Because every day that you keep the whole thing switched off, you are not merely slowing down your own business.

You are intentionally choosing not to help the people in your audience.

Someone could have learned something useful from you today.

Someone could have recognised the cause of a problem they have been struggling with.

Someone could have started a conversation that eventually changed their health, their confidence, their relationships or their life.

But they cannot receive that help if you refuse to show up until every button on the machine works perfectly.

Your audience would almost certainly prefer the slightly imperfect version of what you can offer today over receiving absolutely nothing from you for another six months.

You are allowed to use the parts that already work while you repair, improve and build the rest.

In fact, posting now may help you finish those other pieces. You will hear what people respond to, discover which problems matter to them and learn how they describe what they want.

You cannot learn any of that while sitting silently behind the scenes, endlessly preparing to become visible.

So, what are you telling yourself needs to be perfect before you can do the thing you already know you need to do?

And is it genuinely stopping you?

Or have you simply shut down the entire machine because one part is not quite ready?

Because your audience does not need everything to be perfect.

They just need you to stop using perfection as an excuse not to help them.

No bueno.



Dedicated to your success!

Jason “Funnel Jedi” Economides

Jason Economides, Adam Boag and Angela Florez and Team Connecting Pieces

P.S. Why not test-drive what we do for yourself? Join us inside the our Connecting Pieces: Build. Launch. Grow Facebook group for practical ideas to help you make your expertise easier to understand, trust and buy. Click HERE to join.