| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | the overwhelming job of marketing. That’s |
| Clients approach me all the time saying, Tell me | | | | when the marketing research overdrive response |
| what I need to do to market my services. I ask, | | | | kicks in. You figure if you just gather enough |
| What do you mean? They say, Tell me how | | | | information, you’ll feel they have a grasp on |
| to blog/podcast/what to say on my website, (fill in | | | | marketing. Actually, the opposite is true. The more you |
| your own specific here). That’s when I know | | | | research, the more overwhelmed you become. The |
| they lack the one thing without which they’ll | | | | only way to alleviate the overwhelm is to start trying |
| never really make it. | | | | things out and experiencing the results to understand |
| It’s easy to hung up on details. Marketing advice | | | | not just what works, but what works for you. |
| often makes it even more enticing, promising you | | | | 3. Give to get. |
| phenomenal results if you only do X. The X | | | | Too often in marketing a professional practice, we |
| changes every few weeks and usually says more | | | | measure success in terms of results. Results are |
| about the person who wrote the advice than what | | | | critical, of course, but in a high-trust exchange, such as |
| you really need to dod. Since advice is ever-present | | | | happens when you sell a high-ticket service, very often |
| and ever-changing, for anyone trying to keep up it | | | | the prospect will not buy on first contact. If you walk |
| always feels like marketing is a big overwhelming thing | | | | away after an initial no, or sorry, not |
| that can never be fully tackled. In this dread, they are | | | | interested, you are walking away from great |
| both right and wrong. | | | | opportunities. The practice of giving to get, wherein you |
| Marketing methods ARE endless. You can spend a | | | | demonstrate your expertise by giving people either |
| lifetime learning about them, implementing them, | | | | free or low-fee access to it, is a great way to start |
| collecting data as to their efficacy and tweaking your | | | | building a reputation. |
| results. For the service professional (not the | | | | 4. Build mastery in your craft. It takes being good to |
| professional marketer) it is not necessary to learn | | | | know you’re good. |
| them all. So the good news is, while marketing | | | | Very often I hear from clients, I fee like, Who am |
| information is endless, your grasp of it need not be | | | | I to be charging those high fees?’ Often they |
| complete. | | | | want a pep talk when they ask that. Instead, I ask |
| What you really DO need is marketing confidence. It is | | | | them, What would it take for you to know without |
| a key ingredient without which your marketing will fail. | | | | a doubt that you MUST be charging that? Too |
| Of the over 700 people that signed up for a recent | | | | often we want to coddle ourselves and others when |
| series of teleclasses I did on the subject, nearly every | | | | we don’t feel good enough. But in order |
| one either during the classes or via e-mail told me the | | | | to really build your marketing confidence, you must be |
| same thing: I am very confident in life but when it | | | | excellent at what you do. So what’s that going |
| comes time to marketing, I get uncertain and afraid. | | | | to take? How must you hone your skills, what training |
| In short, they lack marketing confidence. It’s | | | | must you attend, how many people must you work |
| different that regular, garden-variety confidence. | | | | with until you know you’re excellent without any |
| But what to do to build it up? | | | | hesitation? Once you know the answer to that, set out |
| The methods I had participants employ were simple | | | | a path to accomplish it. |
| and gave results right away. | | | | 5. Be continuously challenged. |
| 1. Get serious about what your REAL goals are. | | | | Piggybacking on #4, it helps to get out of your comfort |
| 9 times out of 10, your goals are not what you think | | | | zone at every opportunity. You’ve heard the old |
| they are. Going after artificial goals will wreak havoc | | | | metaphor about building muscles with increasingly |
| on your marketing confidence (and, hence, your | | | | heavier weights. If you want to be a highly |
| results) because you’ll never have the steam to | | | | sought-after professional, respected in your field, you |
| keep on going until you get them. If you’re going | | | | need to push yourself all the time. What’s it |
| after goals that don’t make you jump out of | | | | going to take? |
| bed in the morning and enthusiastically cheer, Time | | | | 6. Research. Then do it your way. |
| to get to work on those goals! (and I’m only | | | | People seem to have an insatiable urge to just do |
| half kidding there) then you’re not working on | | | | a little more research. While this is great, very often |
| your real goals. | | | | it’s detrimental, as I explained above. So if you |
| 2. Do it, don’t think about doing it. | | | | must research, please know this. Everyone who gives |
| Probably the most critical thing you can do to build your | | | | you marketing advice is telling you only PART of the |
| marketing confidence is DO things. So many service | | | | information. The part they can’t possibly tell you |
| professionals get into paralysis by what they consider | | | | is how it’s going to work for you. |