Companies often use the term “best practice” to describe an industry standard that employees are expected to replicate. This week’s guest, Brian Coles, SMASHES this myth entirely! Industry leaders are the best at what they do because they are constantly trying new things. Testing, researching, and innovating new strategies allow you to grow past competitors who essentially follow the shadow of another.      Takeaways: Stop following other people’s “best practices” Company executives can hide behind the term “best practice”. It does not apply to your own unique company just because it’s someone else’s favorite strategy. When a “best practice” fails, companies don’t hold the employee or team accountable because they instead blame the originator of the “best practice” It’s all about testing.Test the crap out of everything and make your own “best practice”! Stories and experiences are the best form of guidance. Keep an eye on competitors or similar companies in your industry for inspiration. Don’t copy their strategy, learn from it! It's really not about the tool at all. It's about the people you've got around you that can make things happen. Surround yourself with the right people and communicate with those people effectively. Stay true to your company’s messaging. Be consistent. Perform yearly audits of the messaging that is going out. Email marketing is the best performing channel out there and has one of the lowest ROIs. Marketing automation is a disruptive force. Think about people in your life and what they mean to you. Remind them of how they have impacted your life and how you appreciate them. Be careful what you tolerate.Your reactions, or lack thereof, teach people how to treat you.     Shout Outs: BombBomb: www.bombbomb.com Thinking, Fast and Slow Book by Daniel Kahneman: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555 The Social Dilemma on Netflix Tim Hoffman @ 48:20 Matthew McConaughey     Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bcoles/ Website: https://www.brian-coles.com Book Link: https://www.brian-coles.com/shop Twitter: https://twitter.com/briancoles     Ways to Tune In Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hard-corps-marketing-show/id1338838763 Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/37228621-2f9c-4905-a223-1844effb49dd Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/1vVLpNI1LssMTiL6Kdsamn Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-hard-corps-marketing-show Google Podcasts: https://play.google.com/music/m/Im7mytmu2wa2mekhoeixlja5hpe?t=The_Hard_Corps_Marketing_Show YouTube: