Posts Tagged ‘marketing mindset’

Sometimes I get so tired of the hype that marketers use to sell their products or services.  These marketers are sometimes the exact people who preach about being authentic and using the highest degree of integrity when marketing.  Here are some of my pet peeves and how to avoid them:

1. The Automatic Sign Up

This just happened to me last week at my local Chamber meeting.  I gave this person my business card and before I got home I had her most recent ezine in my in box!  Did she ask me if she could send it to me?  No, she didn’t, but I got it anyway.  And the icing on the cake…she told me if I put a link up on my website to her website she would do the same for me!  Now this may be appealing to some but I wasn’t falling for it!  Don’t do it!

2. Going, Going, Gone

Marketers who say stuff like, “We have 15 spots left, no I mean 17, no I mean 19.” Or the other version is, “Offer ends Monday, no I mean Tuesday, oops I mean Friday.”  Give me a break!  No matter if the game is played with numbers or time, the bottom line is it is still a game; and one that is insulting to potential clients.  Again, don’t do it!

3. Direct Messages

It seems like every day I get a new direct message from some yahoo  telling me how I must  check out this link so that they can sell me their stuff!  No thanks…and then I block them.  You heard me right.  When I get pitched to immediately I block them.  I don’t need to be sold too all day long and this is what some of these people on twitter are doing and frankly I won’t stand for it.  Don’t do this one either!

4. All Promo, All The Time

Some marketers send one promotion after another and it gets tiring.  Usually their ezine is full of useless information and when you check out their website they offer nothing free.  You guessed it, don’t do it!

5. Bad Twitterfeed

I like Twitterfeed,  but I really don’t need to get every feed, post, and link about everything.  Twitter is used best when used as a marketing tool; one that has been given careful consideration and is in line with your marketing plan.  There is no need to post every single thought, action or food you consumed because bottom line -  nobody cares.

6. Immediate Action Required

You all know what I am talking about!  You must act NOW.  Everything is urgent and it’s urgent all the time.  Give me a break…reading these emails and sales letter exhausts me.  I mean really do they think we have nothing better to do then stop what we are doing and attend to ANOTHER urgent message.  Now that is not to say that sometimes you get a notice and it is urgent but you will quickly learn if this is an ongoing case of the “emergencies” or if it out of the ordinary for this person.  If it’s all the time just hit the unsubscribe button.  And remember just don’t do it yourself!

Are you guilty of any of these mistakes?  If so, you know what to do…don’t do them again!

As a business owner our time is valuable so if you come across people who present their products and information in a manner that sends up the red flag then move on.

Once upon a time you dreamed of a carefree life as an entrepreneur.  You saw the vision of a business where you would satisfy all your clients needs, make tons of money and live the lifestyle of freedom and joy…..wait a second, stop the presses…the reality is hauntingly different.

Now don’t get mad or upset.  I know that you are working your tail off sometimes 12-14 hours per day to turn that dream into a reality.  You eat, sleep (when you do) and think about your business 7 days a week with little return on the investment and a ton of anger to show for it.  But let’s take a step back and really look at what it takes to turn that hobby into a business so you CAN have the business you always dreamed of.

Today Is That Day

Right now in this moment you have a wonderful opportunity to closely examine what it takes to have a successful business.  Here are five action items that you can implement right now so that you can make the transition from a hobby to a business:

1.     Develop a Business and Marketing Plan

When you decide to start a new hobby you don’t need to sit down and write out what you’re going to do and how you are going to do it; you just go out and get your supplies, set up a card table in the basement or spare room and start.  If this sounds like how you started your business, let me explain why this was a BIG mistake.

You want to be successful don’t you?  How will you know if you are?  By writing out your business plan you are taking the necessary steps to plan out your course of action; to identify the goals that indicate you are on the right track.  Without the plan how will you know that you are making the necessary gains in your business that you desire?

So many business women hate marketing but I am sorry ladies it is necessary to develop a marketing plan.  Pick two or three marketing activities and make the commitment to do them consistently.  The activities can range from attending at least one networking event each week to writing a newsletter.  No matter what activities you choose, do them consistently to see results.

2.    You Act Like You Are In Business

There are a couple of really important issues that fall under this heading of “acting like you are in business”.  The first I would like to point out is you have a business email that is tied to your website or domain name.  For example, maureen@daretobephenomenal.com instead of using a generic email address such as yourname@gmail.com. See the difference?  In the first example you know I have a legitimate business, the other, well you’re not so sure.

Second issue is you have branded yourself.  You have a distinct look and feel.  When you brand yourself with colors, taglines and logos you begin to stand out in the crowd.  All of your marketing material must have a cohesive look and feel to them, if they don’t, begin to work towards branding yourself.

Finally, you are treating your personal and business financial accounts as separate; you are not mixing your money.  If you are not doing this now, please go and seek the help of a quick books expert or bookkeeper who can help you separate your accounts so that you clearly know what you are spending and taking in on your business.

3.    Show Me The Money

Here is the plain hard truth…if you are not making any money than you have a hobby and not a business.  Your business needs to be making money or at least be on its way to profitability.  You can’t continue to live on your savings account forever,  and racking up credit card debt to run a business is extremely risky particularly if you own your own home.  Your business won’t survive for very long if you can’t bring in clients and turn a profit.

4.    You Have A Support Team

Part of the trap that many business owners fall into, is they spend many hours a week working in their business instead of on their business.  They do tasks that would be better done by someone else.  You have special talents and skills that bring in the revenue for your business.  If you are spending your time cleaning the house, managing the books,  or managing your data base then you have less time to go out and procure clients.  Find a VA, housecleaner or personal assistant to help you; learn to delegate!

5.    Learn, Learn, Learn

As I mentioned in my opening article, investing in yourself is the biggest gift you can give yourself.  I have two coaches and belong to a mastermind program with a different group of people.  I made a commitment to myself that if I wanted to make my business successful I knew I would have to make the time and monetary sacrifice to make it happen.  If you are struggling with your business or know deep in your soul that all you have is a hobby, I encourage you to consider hiring a coach, mentor or joining a mastermind so that you can turn that hobby into a thriving business.

My challenge to you this week is to take a good, hard look at your business and pick one area to work and improve on.  Make a goal and outline the steps that are necessary for you to achieve success.

The other day I was listening to two women talk about marketing…yes, you could say I was eavesdropping.  But what I heard made me almost gasp in horror!  It is belief # 5.  Read on to learn more.

Belief #5: I am too busy to market my business

Hmm…really? You’re kidding, right?  If you are in business for yourself, then you are in the business of marketing your business!  Marketing is as important as your  particular product or service.  I know this is not what many of you want to hear but it IS true.  If you don’t market yourself, you don’t have clients.  If you don’t have clients, then you don’t have a business.  If you don’t have a business, then you have a  hobby; you’re doing something you love but you don’t get paid.

I am sorry ladies but you are in the business of marketing your business!  I can’t say it any clearer than that and if you choose to fall into the trap that you are too busy to market I dare say you probably won’t be in business for very long.  In this day and age those who continue to promote and market themselves will be head and shoulders above other business owners who failed to market and market effectively.

Feel intimidated?  Well don’t be.  I teach my clients all the time how to develop a simple, but effective marketing plan.  And remember you don’t have to implement it all yourself.  A wonderful Virtual or local Assistant can be a big asset in implementing your plan.

Now go out there and market your business and see the results!

When you think of marketing what immediately comes to mind?  Do you recoil in disgust at the thought of having to put yourself “out there”?  Do you immediately think cheesy, phony, pushy or inauthentic?  Well you are not alone.  Many business owners, particularly women feel uncomfortable with marketing. How do you get past these feelings so that marketing your business becomes fun, easy and authentic?

You’re in the Business of Marketing Your Business

Did you know you were in the business of marketing your business?  When you ask most people, “What business are you in?” they respond with what they do – I am a lawyer, a photographer, a graphic designer, etc.  But the truth is we are in the business of selling ourselves.

There are several ways you can market yourself; not all activities need to be done by you.  In fact I like to outsource many of my marketing activities to my Assistant; this frees me up to work on other aspects of my business.  However, no matter who actual engages in the marketing activities you must know enough to decide how and when to implement your marketing plan.  No matter how good of a coach, massage therapist, photographer or wellness expert you are, you will fail in your business if you don’t market yourself.  You must embrace marketing as another tool to help you spread the word about your knowledge and expertise so you can create the thriving business you dream of.

Your inner beliefs and thoughts influence everything about the who, what, when, where and why about marketing your business.  These thoughts and beliefs will either positively or negatively affect your business.  If you are one of the many women who feel uncomfortable about marketing you need to look at why that is.

Over the next several days I am going to review some common marketing mindset issues and give you some tips so you can love marketing!

Belief #1: I don’t know how to network effectively

I write, teach and train about effective networking strategies all the time.  I could be a millionaire ten times over if I had a dollar every time I heard someone say they don’t know how to network effectively.  And I hear it more from women than men.

Does this surprise you?  Well it did me.  Why? Because women by their very nature are relationship builders and effective marketing is about building relationships.

In order to build an effective business relationship, you need to build a strong network of trusted business professionals from a variety of industries so that you can give and receive quality referrals.  I have blogged extensively about effective networking and you can read my blog posts at by searching under “networking”.

The bottom line is this:  Networking is a great marketing tool, one of several in your business toolbox, but it won’t bring you immediate business.  I’m sure this is NOT what you want to hear, but it’s true.  The flip side of this is:  Through effective, targeted networking you can build a list of respected colleagues and business professionals with whom you can do the following:  engage in joint ventures, conduct business, share clients, build your list, and send quality referrals.

So how do you network effectively? Be genuine and authentic.  Listen for how you might be able to help the other person. Extending yourself goes a long way in building long lasting business relationships.  Did you notice something?  Nowhere in that description did I mention collecting business cards, being phony or trying to immediately pitch your product or service.   Which by the is a real turn off.  Instead the focus is on helping others solve their problems.  Do this and you will build your credibility very quickly and people will see you as the go to gal.  Next networking event go with the intention that you are going to help two people with their business and see what happens.