| Have you ever found yourself knowing
exactly what you need to do about marketing your business... and then not doing it? You
are not alone. Many self-employed professionals find that the hardest part of marketing
isn't figuring out what to do. What's hard is actually doing it.
Marketing yourself can be a confronting process. Making
phone calls to strangers, writing marketing letters, and talking about yourself and your
accomplishments can bring up fear of rejection, harsh commentary from your inner critic,
feelings of incompetence, and the discomfort of performing unfamiliar activities. If you
let them, these inner saboteurs can stop you dead in your tracks.
The good news is that you don't have to completely
eliminate these internal roadblocks in order to move forward in marketing. It is possible
to feel afraid or uncomfortable and still take useful action despite the presence of these
feelings. Here are ten ways to quickly break through internal barriers and get your
marketing unstuck.
1. Recreate your vision.
When you're feeling blocked from moving forward, remember
why you wanted to go there in the first place. What was your original vision of the
business you are trying to build? Who will your work benefit? What fulfillment or
satisfaction will it provide you? Write down your vision of a successful business, or if
you've written it down before, pull it out and re-read it. Allow your own words to
re-inspire you to do the necessary hard work.
2. Design a reward.
Sometimes your vision may seem a bit too far off, and you
need some more immediate gratification. Choosing to reward yourself for a job well done
can provide you with a positive near-term benefit for effort that might not pay off for a
while. Promise yourself simple rewards for completing difficult marketing chores like
making follow-up calls or writing web site copy.
The prospect of a special dinner, a movie with your
significant other, or a new gadget for your favorite hobby can help you to push past the
blocks and get things done. Rewards don't even have to cost money. Sometimes the promise
of a bubble bath, walk in the park, or an hour reading a good book is all the incentive
you need to take on a tough marketing challenge.
3. Tame the inner critic.
Often when you're feeling stuck, what's going on in your
head is a conversation with your inner critic, who seems to have a lot to say about sales
and marketing. It's difficult to work on promoting yourself when you are hearing a
constant stream of comments like: "You're not good enough," "They won't
like you," or "Who do you think you are?"
It can help to remember that the inner critic often says
things that simply aren't true. One way to counter this negative dialogue is to respond
with the objective truth. For example: "Clients tell me I'm good at what I do,"
"Many people say they like me quite a bit," or "I'm a competent
professional, thank you very much." When you answer confidently with statements of
fact, messages from the inner critic often begin to lose their power.
4. Face your fear.
One of the most common obstacles to being successful at
marketing is fear. Marketing activities may evoke fears of rejection, disapproval,
embarrassment, and a host of other catastrophes. Instead of pretending the fear isn't
there, or attempting to ignore it, you may find it more effective to confront the fear
directly.
Try to identify exactly what you are afraid of. What do you
fear will happen if you make that call or go to that meeting? If you can identify the
specific fear that is blocking you, it may be possible to soothe it by providing
reassuring information or positive experience. For example, fear of rejection can often be
lessened by setting up practice selling sessions where a role-playing partner responds
with "yes" to every suggestion you make.
5. Get a pep talk.
When you become discouraged, don't be afraid to ask for
outside help to cheer up and start feeling positive again. Ask a friend, colleague,
networking group member, or your coach to give you some words of encouragement. Sometimes
all you need to hear is: "It was tough for me in the beginning too... Eventually my
efforts paid off... You're doing all the right things... I know you can do it!"
6. Complain and clear.
Feeling frustrated and negative can sometimes immobilize
you. One method of clearing negative thoughts is to voice what you are experiencing to a
caring person. Spend a full five minutes complaining about everything that's going wrong
with your marketing, making sure to say exactly how it makes you feel. Then ask your
listener to reflect your feelings back to you. Knowing that someone else hears and
understands you may be all you need to let go of a negative attitude and get back to work.
7. Read your fan mail.
In the regular course of serving your clients, you've
probably received thank-you notes, grateful voice mail messages, and other evidence that
you're doing a good job. Make a habit of saving these in a "fan mail" folder,
and when you are feeling low, revisit all the nice things people have said about you.
Remembering what a good job you do when you are working can encourage you to do the
necessary marketing to get more work.
8. Quit; then start fresh.
There may be days when you feel discouraged enough to just
throw in the towel. Maybe you should do it. The act of quitting can be very cathartic.
Proclaim: "I quit!" Perhaps even write yourself a resignation letter. Then take
off the rest of the day, and don't even think about work. It's a good bet that after you
have a chance to blow off some steam, you'll be ready to come back the following day
re-energized.
9. Change the scene.
Marketing can feel difficult and lonely when you're always
slaving away by yourself in your home office. Try carrying out some of your challenging
marketing tasks from a different location or with some company. Make cold calls from the
patio, write a marketing letter in a busy coffee shop, or take turns with a colleague
helping each other set up a good contact management system. Seeing a different view or
enjoying companionship while you work may help you to complete tasks you have been
avoiding.
10. Act as if.
Whenever you feel incompetent about some area of marketing,
you may be able to tackle those activities anyway if you simply try to act as if you were
competent. Try playing the role of someone you admire. For example, what if you were
Lauren Bacall? How would she make a follow-up call? Or how about if you were Martin Luther
King? How would he introduce himself in front of a group? A short time pretending to be
someone you think of as confident and capable can make those qualities rub off on you.
The next time your marketing feels stuck, try one of these
methods to help you get back into action quickly. Marketing tasks are really only as hard
as you think they are, so if you can find an easy way out, why not take it?
Copyright (c) 2005, C.J. Hayden |
