As I deleted another day of over 600 junk mails from my junk filter, wrapped up skimming through 3K unread deletes in case I missed anything critical (is anything critical anymore?), it struck me that I suck at marketing. Oh sure, I’ve read about it, learned about it at live events and virtual classrooms, been coached on it, heck over the last decade and more, I’ve invested over $100K in my marketing education. And yet, I feel like I’m moving backwards and doing all the things I’m not supposed to do. Can you relate?
- I worry about open rates because if I’m not getting through it’s because I’m not communicating effectively or being persuasive.
- I don’t believe in guilt, so I won’t put you on a guilt trip like a lot of marketers do.
- I can’t lie so false promises are out of the question. . . .
- I stand behind my work 110%, if you aren’t happy, I’m not happy and I’ll work to make you happy or refund. (I’ve had two in 5 years, but it still bothers me.)
- I don’t have a hostage clause where you have to stick with a program and prove to me you implemented or my guarantee is null and void. (Feels like signing in blood!)
- I’m real, human, and vulnerable and don’t have a very thick skin. (Oh and my direct phone number is at the bottom of every email.)
- I lose sleep over prospects that don’t commit because I see them months and even years later, still stuck where they were instead of making the difference they wanted to and are capable of and deserve.
You see, I really don’t believe in marketing, what I believe in is providing opportunities for transformation, both business and personal. I know that when I can connect you to that place of your purpose with passion, you are going to ignite and become magnetic to your ideal clients and customers. They’ll flock to you because you resonate with them in a different way than anyone else they come across. You’ll “click.” It’s a chemistry thing as much as anything else. You can’t force chemistry, you can falsely create it but it will explode in your face when you do! (I see some nodding going on here.)
So I’m going to suggest that you stop marketing. That’s right, just stop. And instead, start being yourself, be vulnerable, be real and tell the stories of the people you’ve worked with, and how your work has changed their lives and their business. Whether you are a coach, an interior designer, a furniture craftsman, a carpet retailer, an attorney, an accountant, it still applies. When you share the stories of others, as well as yourself, you will have used the most powerful kind of marketing there is, unmarketing . . .
I’d love your thoughts here in the most marketed season of the year! And if you want to find me, then click the big social buttons over there on the right and I’m a click away. Better yet, reach out in real time. 404-788-6528 (I know, it’s unorthodox but I’m doing it anyway.)
I’m being myself 🙂 and I definitely agree with most of those points. I’ve got pretty thick skin though, and I don’t lose sleep over anything besides staying up too late.
I do wonder about one thing though: How can you tell stories about how you’ve changed the lives of your clients when it’s concerning a product/service for which you’ve never had any clients?
Linda,
Do what is called a “beta” test and allow people to test it specifically to get their comments and testimonials, very effective. 🙂
Hugs,
Melissa
I agree with Linda. How do you tell a story about your sevice/product and never had a client for it. I just put my booklet up for purchase on Amazon Kindle and authentic about being myself and desire to help and be a blessing with my knowledge, talents, and abilities. Like you Melissa I have been going through training but fail to breakthrough to clients who truly need and want what I offer.
Blessings,
Jana Hicks
Hi Jana, Could you offer your booklet for free to 10 people and in return they give you a testimonial or tell you how the booklet affected them. That way you have the stories and your integrity stays intact. Just an idea. And with regard to the picture – I think it comes from the gravatar – i think the website is gravatar.com
Good luck. Sarah
Yes I can do that Sarah. Thanks for the ideal 🙂 Also thank youfor the photo info as well. I truly appreciate it 🙂
Jana,
As I mentioned to Linda, go ahead and “BETA” test. The tricky part with Amazon is you can put it up for free but not necessarily get comments. You need to target your book to those who would benefit and lead with the benefits instead of leading with your story.
Hugs, Melissa
P.S. How do I put my picture up next to my comments? I don’t see any prompt to upload my photo 🙂
Jana,
Use gravatar.com it is free and connected universally to all sites online. You put your pic in once and it populates whatever site you are on. Easy peasy . . .
Hugs, Melissa
Thank you, Thank you! I also suck at marketing. I’m just not one to try to convince a person to purchase my service. I like to give people a small taste of what I do and let them decide if they would like to go further. However this isn’t working well for me. I have, as of today, not gotten my first paying client. I’ve had plenty of people fell me they think my Health Information business is a great idea but it goes no further. I’ve actually thought about expanding it and changing it to Health Coaching.
Thank you for this posted, it gives me more to think about.
Angela,
What is “health information”? It sounds a wee bit generic, betting you can come up with a benefit laden title that will truly attract your ideal client. Also selling information isn’t effective, you’ve got to sell results . . .what are the results of the information?
Hugs, Melissa
I worked in marketing my entire career, as a marketing writer, but found later that I never really held with the ‘tactics.’ Your comments, Melissa, are right on for me. What works best for me is to have the conversation, ask the questions, tell the stories, and suggest the alternatives that provide the transformation. Some folks ‘get it’ and some don’t. But my advice is to always have the conversation. People will make their choices, often out of fear (either way), but what counts most for me is to be authentic. There is no other way that works as well. Thanks Melissa for your insight.
Rick,
Glad it hit home, love to see you add a photo to that transparency :). Do you know gravatar.com?? People do business with people, you are correct, not logos, pets, or kids. Conversation is just another step to relationship building.
Hugs, Melissa
Let’s be clear, though. “Stop marketing” should not mean “stop doing anything”. Entrepreneurs make up the largest sector of U.S. businesses, yet they are the most undeserved by PR firms. There are also an astounding number with this “if I build it, they will come ” mentality who don’t ask for the sale. Telling stories is so important, but you have to leverage them so that they create buzz and get people talking about you. Otherwise, it’s like telling your story to an empty room.
So true Robin. Thank you for your perspective 🙂
Robin,
I agree, and better to market as an innate part of what you do by telling your stories than to make it a separate activity that appears as a drain on energy and resources. Buzz is critical and can be challenging to create in this deafening landscape of everyone marketing . . .
Appreciate your insights!
Hugs, Melissa