Getting on the bandwagon ... without questioning the bandwagon.

Each week my VIP coaching clients get a weekly tracker. That allows us to stay in touch regularly to review achievements and goals. Sometimes I add something to think about, like this:

A client in South Africa raised the issue of Black Friday with me. It got me thinking. How many retailers jumped on the Black Friday 'discount bandwagon' ... without thinking about the alternative?

Hiut Denim are an exception. They closed their online store on Black Friday. This year they posted 7 tips for Black Friday shopping. It provided a creative alternative message, which stood out, and made me smile.

So, I asked my VIPs, "Which 'business practices bandwagons' have you seen jumped on?" And one of the replies to this question cited several bandwagons:

• Those COVID emails - remember that baloney - all that "we care about you and we're here to help". Annoying.

• Having sales people reaching out blindly - in bulk - on LinkedIn trying create new leads. Transactional.

• The big fee retainers paid to marketing agencies to churn out two blogs a week ... that only you read. Egotistical.

In light of this how useful would a 'bandwagon audit' be? Perhaps to ensure your firm hasn't drifted into this type of impersonal nonsense.