Practice doesn’t make perfect. What do we do now?

“Practice makes perfect.”  This is what we have been told by our parents, our teachers, Malcolm Gladwell, and researchers.  And, as pointed out by Fast Company, “There’s even a Macklemore song about it, so that makes it real.”

Here’s the problem – it’s not real.  A 2014 study found that practice doesn’t make perfect.    Instead, reaching a mastery level of whatever it is that you are trying to reach is dictated by your personality, intelligence, and a number of other factors.

Where does that leave us?  For business it reaffirms the adage: “Do what you do best, and outsource the rest.”

During a Small Business Week panel discussion Gene Marke, Inc. columnist and owner of the Marks Group, discussed the importance of strategic partnerships and outsourcing:

“One of the smartest things I’ve been seeing companies do is that they do what they do best and outsource the rest.  Companies are now thinking more about partners they can work with to provide the type of technologies, services, and solutions they cannot do or don’t have time to do.”

Dan Leberman, the vice president and general manager of PayPal’s North American online small and medium business unit, expressed similar sentiments:

“It’s all about knowing your company’s core competencies.  As a small business, you need to decide what you’ll build and what you’ll give to a partner.”

The supply chain and logistics industries have been slower to adopt social media and inbound marketing than other industries.  Reasons for this include: a lack of understanding of the benefits, lack of experience, and both time and budget constraints.  In short, inbound marketing and associated activities including content creation and social media management are great examples of what companies within the supply chain and logistics industry should consider outsourcing.

A 2014 study found that 86 percent of manufacturing marketers have adopted content marketing and that the majority (55 percent) of companies look to outsource partners for help.

As shown below, manufacturing marketers outsource a variety of content functions including writing, distribution, design, and editing.

Now that we know practice doesn’t make perfect – play to your company’s strengths and considering outsourcing the rest.