Did you ever play the game Telephone? It’s a lot like Word-of-Mouth Marketing. You put a bunch of people in a line, whisper something to the person on one end, then watch as they turn and whisper the message, person-to-person, right on down the line.

There’s almost always something lost in translation.

Now imagine that telephone game as Word of Mouth (WOM) about your business.  Can you see why it might be risky for you?

Word of Mouth Marketing is a very appealing marketing strategy.

• There’s the popularity factor – the idea of hundreds of potential clients talking about your business.

• There’s the laziness factor – the possibility of your clients doing your marketing work FOR you, by spreading the word about your business.

• There’s the free factor – the steady stream of clients who flow through the door at no cost to you.

Free, easy and tons of people doing sending you business? Word of Mouth sounds pretty good – maybe even too good to be true.

The real truth is: there are risks associated with WOM, and all your marketing efforts should not rely on this one strategy.  

WOM is the sole strategy of many of the small business owners who come to me for help attracting more perfect clients to their business.  Frequently, it’s not working for them — not translating into business and they don’t know why.  Here’s your answer …

Why WOM doesn’t (always) work:

• Not enough “mouths.” Very often, new businesses with small marketing budgets decide that WOM will help them grow.  However, if only a few people have experienced your brand, it may be hard for them to talk up enough business for you.

• Wrong “words.” They say hope is not a strategy, and yet what do businesses do? They hope their clients will recognize a good prospect and talk to them.  They hope their clients will describe how they benefited.  They hope, but they don’t manage the conversation.

• Too haphazard to rely on it. This is my biggest complaint about WOM.  If you can’t do anything to influence or control it, then it’s not a strategy.  It’s an accident.  A happy accident when it works and a struggling business when it doesn’t.

You CAN reduce the risk and put more WOW in your WOM!

Now that you know the risks, you can take intentional steps to get better results from WOM.

1. Build a larger WOM base to get traction and momentum. While the best WOM comes from clients or customers, there are ways to impact a broader audience with your brand.

Speaking, networking and teleseminars give a personal experience of you, while web sites and blogs help you get your message out and build a following.  All of that results in more mouths spreading the word.

2. Send clear, compelling marketing messages. If you have a good brand, you can trust that your target audience is clear about the problems you solve and the unique way you do it.  Your message is unlikely to get garbled in the Telephone game of WOM, and more likely to reach the ears of those who seek you.

3. Create a system that sparks WOM. What takes WOM from accident to strategy are three things: intentions, plans and actions.  Make them repeatable, and you get a system.

Don’t leave word of mouth to chance.  Take charge of your brand message and get your customers talking!

Related posts:

1. How to measure word-of-mouth better

Like many of my clients, “Charlie” was dangerously close to doing a little of everything for anyone with a checkbook.

A business coach, he was struggling with my advice to focus on his specialty and narrow his target audience from small business owners to a more specific niche.

I’m sure there’s someone who can succeed by doing everything for anyone, but like Charlie, most people aren’t.  And here’s why:

• When you do everything, you compete with everyone.

• It’s almost impossible to brand your service because …
• It’s hard to differentiate from “everyone.”
• If you can’t differentiate (brand) yourself, it’s very hard to communicate what you do.
• If you can’t communicate your value, it’s almost impossible to attract clients.
• When you don’t have enough clients, owning a business is not any fun at all.

But if doing everything for anyone who shows up is the wrong approach, why are so many people are doing it? Why is it so hard to get people to focus their brand on a specific niche?

1.    It feels like something is being taken away from you. Like you’re shutting down possibilities. And, when you don’t have enough clients, it feels counter-intuitive to say the answer is “don’t fish in the ocean; go fish in that small pond.”

2.    You believe you can help a lot of people. In truth, if you look closely, you’ll find that while you CAN help many people, certain ones THRIVE from your help while others don’t.

3.   You’re afraid of having too narrow a niche. Much like the fear of being too rich, too successful or too pretty, this is more a theoretical fear than an actual one.  And, most people don’t get near a narrow enough niche to run out of prospects.

A niche is a specific subsection of a market or target audience.

There was a time when “small business owners” or “women” were niches, but they’re both such large markets now that focusing in on them is not as effective as it once was.

Another big opportunity for you: specialize

If someone has cancer, he’ll be quickly referred from his doctor (or general practitioner) to an oncologist, who specializes in treating cancer.  You may even find a specialist who deals with, for example, “men who have breast cancer” (a deeper niche).  

If you have a 1964 Aston-Martin car, you’d likely eschew the service shop on the corner in favor of the place specializing in vintage European cars.  

As an expert in branding (specialty), particularly branding for socially responsible solopreneurs and service businesses (niche), I see many people who have an essential gift or talent around which we center their brand.

A  unique gift, talent, product or service is a specialty.

The assumption is that it’s not for everyone and not something every service provider can do.

If you’ll notice, specialty actually contains the word “special” in it, and that’s important.  A specialty is inherently special, so it stands out from other things.  The people who need it perceive that you have particular insights about them.  Special things are not ordinary, and they are not commodities.  They stand out and stand apart.

In brief: a specialty is what you do and your niche is who you do it for.

Businesses with both of these are really easy to brand!  In fact, a strong specialty and a good niche usually do most of your marketing FOR you.  No one has to figure out what it is or why they would want it, they just call and buy.

So, why not just pick a niche and slap a specialty onto yourself?

Well, because that’s not how it works.  A niche or a specialty needs to be:

• Discovered.  You can’t impose or paint it on from the outside.
• True.  That’s the old-school way of saying authentic. It can’t be made up because it sounds catchy or profitable; it must be grounded in the truth of who you are, what you do and the results you get.
• Acted on.  Usually that starts with saying NO to all the things that are not right.  Saying no when you don’t have enough clients can be very scary, but it’s the right thing to do if the wrong clients are showing up.  Now you have to start attracting the right clients.

And, while it may sound self-serving on my part, very often you need help to discover and act upon the truth of what exactly your specialty is and who exactly is your niche market.  

My specialty is helping people to discover their niche and specialty and to form that into an irresistible brand.  I love to help socially-responsible small business owners, especially solopreneurs, who are working to make the world a better place with their products and services.  

If you suspect there’s something special about what you do, but you aren’t sure how to market it, I can help you discover and communicate it in a compelling brand. If you feel your services are attracting the wrong clients, I can help you find the niche that will truly value you. Contact me today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.

Niche photo by recursion see recursion

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“Psychological experiments demonstrate that people exhibit a taste for consistency. Individuals are inclined to interpret new evidence in ways that confirm their pre-existing beliefs. They also tend to change their beliefs to enhance the desirability of their past actions.”

- Leeat Yariv, “I’ll See It When I Believe It – A Simple Model of Cognitive Consistency”

Imagine: for the sake of “consistency,” we are willing to force-fit new information into the same old ice tray of beliefs.

Sure, consistency is critical in manufacturing, brand communication and gravy.  But when things aren’t going the way you want them to, you must make changes that bring about new results.

What’s the first step? The belief that it could be otherwise.
How best to invoke that belief? Imagination!
What does this have to do with your business? Everything.

I’d like to offer a way to break patterns in your business that are no longer serving you.

Vision Statements: See It, Believe It, Achieve It

One of the first things I ask new clients to do is describe a “picture of success” for the future of their business.  I use this information to help us create a Vision Statement, the strategic foundation for our work together.

A Vision Statement is an evocative, detailed description of the way your business will look at a specific future date, anywhere from 1 to 5 years away.  It answers the question, “When our intentions are fulfilled, and the business becomes what we want  it to be, how will things look, feel and be?”

Vision Statements aren’t just about the visual appearance of your future.  Rather, they vividly illustrate the culture, contribution, environment, activity, reputation and emotions you will experience when you arrive at your vision.

Effective Vision Statements call to mind a clear, similar mental image for everyone who hears them, so they’re an excellent way to get everyone involved in a business or a project on the same page.  They can be exceptional communication tools because they’re at once analytical and emotional.

Vision Statements differ from mission statements, in that they describe how you will BE, not what you’ll DO.  I prefer to write them in the present tense, like an affirmation.  For example, “Our offices are filled with a spirit of abundance, smiling faces and incoming phone calls from perfect clients.”

5 Great Reasons to Make a Vision Statement

1. Because, as athletes teach us, it’s easier to achieve what you’ve already seen, even if you’ve only seen it in your mind’s eye.
2. Because when Vision Statements are specific and aspirational enough, they inspire and motivate you.  That gets you moving on the path to fulfilling your vision.
3. Because imagery communicates better than sterile numerical targets.  Which is more motivating to a start-up? “Year-end sales: 5,000 units” or “It’s the end of [year], and we have nourished health-conscious teens 5,000 times with our delicious energy bars.”
4. Because a Vision Statement sparks and stretches the imagination and helps you dream of what is possible.  It’s the future, not tomorrow, even if it’s only 6 months or a year away.  Expect surprises, miracles and ingenious insights.
5. Because, by imagining your business as it will be, you can “visit” your future and plan for the unexpected.  In my experience, people always discover opportunities they might have overlooked and threats that might have sabotaged their success.

OK, How Do I Do This Vision Thing?

Developing a Vision Statement is a collaborative process and a fantastic teambuilding exercise.  You should involve multiple participants to get diverse and better ideas. Include participants from all levels of your organization, since those involved in coming up with the Vision Statement will first dream it, and then make it happen.

After the collective brainstorm, one or two people should write the statement, since writing is NOT a group process.  Keep it to a paragraph or a page, but not a tome.

Generally, a Vision Statement is an internal document, which means you might choose to post it in your office but not on your web site. After all, your future is less interesting and relevant to your site visitors and clients than what you are doing for them now.

[Secret for the gung ho: You can use Vision Statements for planning in smaller increments, such as 3 months, 1 month, a week or a day.  Writing it down = commitment!  I also use them for short-term projects so that my client and I both know what we're achieving.]

How to Write a Vision Statement: Easy Action Steps

• Grab a colleague, friend or business advisor.
• Select a date in the future.
• Imagine what your business will be like when your intentions for it are realized.  How will things look and feel?  Close your eyes and imagine yourself there.  What do you experience all around you?

And remember, if you don’t like something you envision, just erase it and start over.  It’s easier to do that now with an eraser than it will be three years from now when it’s a reality.

Can you share what you’re envisioning for your future in a comment below?

Photo: visualpanic

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1. How a Business Vision Helps in Small Business Marketing

A subscriber writes: “Give me a definition of marketing. I read a lot about that but I need your definition.”

I appreciate this question, because you can go look this up online anywhere, but it’s not the same. So I’m not going to give you a dictionary definition, but instead MY definition.

If more small businesses understood it, there might be less aversion and more willingness to market. They’d get more clients and be more successful. But, let’s just start with the question…

What is marketing?

Marketing is the process or practice of getting the word out about what you do to those you help.

“The word” is your marketing message. “What you do” is your unique solution, and “those you help” are your intended audience. You have to know each of those before you can market your business effectively. (These parts make up your brand.)

I group marketing into three main categories:

1. Value Identification

2. Value Communication

3. Value Delivery

Obviously, the key component here is value. Business (and, I would say, life) is all about exchanging value. I give you something valuable – like a product or a service – and you give me something in exchange, like money or its equivalent in products or services.

Value Identification is the part of marketing in which you decide what the value is in what you’re offering. What do you do that your clients appreciate and expect to pay for? What do you do that is special, different and better than anyone else? How do your clients benefit from you?

As I mentioned, the unique value you offer your clients is your brand. Branding is not only about logos and taglines; it’s about deciding which part of your value to focus on, who best benefits from it and how exactly to talk about it. It’s taking that abstract value and articulating it as your marketing message.

Value Communication is all the ways you let your target audience know who you are and how you can help them. Marketing strategies like social media, blogging, advertising and word-of-mouth are all ways to communicate your value to your target audience.

The interesting, and sometimes dangerous, part of marketing is that everything communicates. Everything you do or don’t do, say or don’t say, choose to participate in or decide to skip … it ALL sends a message for which you are responsible.

Value Delivery is when you do what you do for your clients or customers. Some people believe marketing is over at this point because you already have the person as a customer, right? Not so fast.

In my opinion it’s a good idea to think of everything you do as marketing and as a chance to express your value. If you want to grow your business with referrals, you’re still reminding people of that, even though they’ve already become your clients. So, marketing is ongoing. (sigh. i know.)

Another way to think about marketing is …

• Value identification = defining your brand promise
• Value communication = making the promise
• Value delivery = fulfilling the promise

In business we do these three processes over and over, defining our promise (ever more clearly), sharing it and fulfilling it.

And that, Enlightened Marketers, is MY definition of marketing. When someone asks you, “What is marketing,” what do YOU say?

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1. Is Word-of-Mouth Marketing Too Risky For You?

Too headstrong to be managed.  Unable to fit into a corporate culture. “Lone wolves.” The conventional wisdom on solopreneurs is that they don’t have the personalities to work in companies.

Maybe.

But many solopreneurs I know feel called on a mission and are comfortable leading alone.  Their flocks or tribes may or may not have shown up yet.  But they are fueled by a drive and passion that doesn’t require having a company around them, at least not in the ordinary sense.

However, I do notice this independence can cause problems for some of my clients, who feel isolated or lonely.  They also tend to overwork, doing everything themselves because (a) they can – they’re multitalented, of course. And (b) they never quite acquire the mindset that you can be a solopreneur and a leader while still enjoying all the benefits of working in a large company.

After all, why create a lifestyle business and then work yourself to death in it?

There are three kinds of connection that can benefit solopreneurs:

1. Backend support. Building a team who can help you deliver your services will allow you to spend more time marketing so you can help more people. (And resting, so you can be more creative.)
2. Outreach support. Can you connect to others with similar audiences? Often, combining what you do with others makes for a more complete offer, and that means more impact on those you serve.
3. Moral support. Having a small group of fellow solopreneurs who know your experience from the inside out can be invaluable.  You may have buddies you talk with from time to time, but I urge you to find a real mastermind group.  The support and accountability will change your world.

I’m at a conference in San Francisco this weekend with other solopreneurs seeking collaboration. It’s made me aware of the progress I’ve made in building back-end support – I have a lot more to offer than I used to!

I hope to find partners with whom I can work to bring our services to more and more of those who need them.  I found my current mastermind group members a few years ago at an event just like this one.

What have been your experiences with collaboration?  What’s the biggest “aha” you could share with solopreneurs who are still flying solo?

Solo flyer photo by cvanstane

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If you’re like most of my clients, you’re NOT an aspiring professional blogger.  Your main focus is to attract more clients.  If blogging can help with that, then hey, let’s talk about it.

Well, good news: blogging is a BIG boon to client attraction.

Why? Three Reasons:

1.  Attractive Articles. Blogging involves writing helpful articles for your target audience on the topic of your expertise.  The great thing is that the content attracts those who are interested in what you do – perfect clients!  (Those who aren’t interested wouldn’t be good prospects, would they?)

2.  Brand Self-Discovery. Through the discipline of writing articles regularly, you’ll find you gravitate to the same ideas, topics, points of view, theories and perspectives.  You’ll notice what kind of people and responses are invoked by certain posts.  You’ll find your voice.  That voice is a big part of your brand.

3.  Dynamic content is magnetic! Search engines love to find new stuff on your site, and guess what? So do humans!  If you have a 10 page brochure site and wonder why you don’t get many visitors, it’s because they’ve seen it.  Post an article once a month?  Whoop-de-do.  Your target audience wants to absorb cool info in small chunks on a frequent basis.

Bad news: like most marketing strategies, blogging requires some actual work.  Darn!

Here are 3 ways to make it easier:

1.  Think strategically. If you want to attract clients through a website, you first need to be sure your site is ready to serve them.  Put your contact info in a visible spot.  Have a form so people can get in touch without having to compose an email from scratch.  Offer a free welcome gift in exchange for an email address.  There’s no sense in getting 1000 visitors a day if they all bounce away after 29 seconds with no way to follow up with them.

2.  Get found. You’re publishing useful articles, because your prospective clients want that information.  To find it they’re going to search for keywords and phrases, so learn what those are.  Optimize each post by blogging on a single keyword or phrase.  Make sure the title tag and url contain that exact phrase.  

3.  Systemize. Get ideas for blog posts from your keywords – that keeps you on topic, and your topic is what will attract the clients. Write a few short posts (250 words each is plenty) in a sitting on one day and program your blog to auto-post them throughout the week.

Look, I know you’re busy.  I’m a small business owner too, NOT a full-time blogger.  I’m doing a pretty good job with some of these points and not-so-great with others. But you wanna know something?

I consistently attract clients from my website. Many have specifically said they read several posts on my blog before contacting me.

But I already knew that about them, because I use a free tool called Statcounter.com and I can see how visitors move around my site.  (I prefer it to Google Analytics, although I use both.) I see which posts attract visitors, which keywords they use to find them and whether they sign up for my ezine or use the contact form.  

For example, last fall I posted an old article from my ezine archive, but I gave it a new title, “Does a Solopreneur Need a Brand?”  A few days later someone found that article using the keyword phrase “branding for solopreneurs,” and a week later she became my client.

If you’re ready to transform your old, static website into a client-attracting salesman who works 24/7, it’s time to build – or improve – your blog.

What are your ideas or questions about blogging for clients?  Share them here in a comment.

Thanks to Foxtongue for photo

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1. Attract Way More Clients with Way Less Effort: Free Teleseminar
2. 10 Tips for Attracting Clients Consistently

Have you ever wondered about ethical ways to market your business?   How you can set realistic fees – for both your clients AND yourself?  Or, how to avoid giving up when you’ve had little or no success in getting clients?

Last week I had the pleasure to join my perfect clients, Drs. Phillip and Jane Mountrose (are they not the sweetest couple?!), on their teleclass, “MORE Answers to Your Most Important Questions about Building a Holistic Practice.”

The Mountroses are experts in helping holistic practitioners get their messages out, build successful practices and overcome limiting beliefs about marketing. 

Now, they’re using their skills and connections to create a community especially for holistic practitioners.

This call focused on:

• Listbuilding
• Troubleshooting why your marketing isn’t working
• Pricing your services.

Listen here.

I’m on the Team of Experts and I’m also a member.  I hope you’ll join me in the community at the International Association of Holistic Practitioners. [affiliate link]

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1. 5 Ways the Experts Make Marketing Seem Easy

When NPR asked people to describe 2009 in one word, the results made an interesting word cloud, but not a pretty picture.

How to make a better 2010

Now, I use a combo of Outlook calendar scheduling and paper lists. It works for me because I know nothing happens that isn’t scheduled on my calendar.  And, I also know that scribbling tasks off a list makes me happy.

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A few years ago I was working with some clients on their brand promise, a statement about the value they give their customers.  I repeated one component of it back to Carol, the co-owner of a service business.

“No!  We can’t promise that!” she gasped.

“Why not?” I asked.  I was confused, since she had just told me a story of how this one activity had helped many of their clients. “This is something you do, isn’t it?”

“Well, we do it if they need it,” she said. “But, I’m afraid if we promise it to everyone, we’ll get taken advantage of.”

Aha!  The Truth and with it, a Lesson:

You Cannot Deliver Your Full, True Value When You Work With the Wrong Clients!

This isn’t a service issue or a brand issue; it’s a client management issue.  If you are working with people who don’t honor the value you give them, you may BE taken advantage of.

Monday I met with an interior designer who claimed a price change was having a terrible effect on her business.  Because price is one of the main ways we communicate our value to our clients, we discussed it as a marketing issue.

She found one of her clients was interfering in her work and trying to do parts of it herself, seemingly to save money on the designer’s hourly fees.  I quickly realized that, once again, it was not a pricing or marketing issue, but a client management issue.  And the solution is simple:

Stop Working with the Wrong Clients!

Life is too short, and your business too important, to continue to work with those who are less than a joy to work with.  If it’s too difficult to outright fire them, begin to phase out your work with anyone who isn’t a great fit for your value.

How to identify a “great fit?”  These customers are evangelists for you; they appreciate you so much that they just have to share the good news about your services with others.

At a minimum, you and they both recognize that your product or service solves their problem, and they are quite willing to pay your full fees for the solution.

Start Working with the Right Clients!

I leave most of my meetings with a big smile and light attitude, because I just love my clients.  The difference between now and my start-up days?

Well, besides the fact that I’m prosperous enough to be selective, the real difference is that I know exactly whom I want to work with, both demographically and psychographcially.  That means I’ve made a list of qualities and …

I Only Work With Perfect Clients

Perfect isn’t a judgment; it means they’re a perfect fit for you.  Exactly what they need is exactly what you deliver.[Learn more about how to attract clients who'll value you.]

Issues arise, occasionally, even with those who meet all the criteria on my perfect client list.  That’s why I’ve gotten better at noticing issues and pointing them out right away.

Teach People How to Treat You

Many of us are conflict-avoidant, and I’m no exception.  Those confrontational talk shows make my stomach ache!

However, I know that I can easily avoid confrontation if I’m willing to address minor issues immediately.  Better yet, I go through my expectations of how we will work together before someone even hires me.

One of my clients sends a list of conditions to her clients before the first meeting, but I’ve encouraged her to review it, line by line, with people before they begin. That way you know it’s been read and understood by all.

When You Work with Perfect Clients:

1. Your brand value increases: It’s easy to deliver more of your value when the recipients need and appreciate that value.
2. Your work is a joy: What better feeling than facing creative challenges together with clients who are open to your ideas, suggestions and solutions?
3. Your business grows organically: Imagine the money you save on marketing when your own customer base is communicating your value to others on your behalf.  Happily, perfect clients tend to know other perfect ones too.

Are you working with the wrong clients?  If so,why?  Share your experiences in the comments below.

Stoppy photo by brainware3000

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1. 10 Tips for Attracting Clients Consistently

I used to attend a morning leads group, and it was hard to get some people to join.  They found some lame reasons why they couldn’t: husband couldn’t get the kids to school one morning a week, no one to open their store, etc.

What I always said was, “What if we paid you $50,000/yr? Do you think grandma could come over and help your husband one day a week for that?”

"Sheesh." Hammy can't stand lame excuses.

Where’d that number come from?  It was a leads group, for heaven’s sake.  I was getting about $100,000 a year in referral business, and it was easy to imagine that it would be financially justified to get a sitter or an employee to help them out once a week.

So, you can imagine my frustration at some of the questions and objections I get from clients. They let a teeny-tiny obstacle block their path to a dream.  

Let’s look at some of these molehills appearing as mountains.  Have you ever said any of them?

“I don’t have time for marketing.”

See leads group example above.  What if we paid you $50,000, $100,000 or even a million dollars a year?  Could you find some time for marketing then?  

What most people mean is, “I don’t see a point.  It isn’t working.  I don’t enjoy marketing.”  It’s like playing a card game in which everyone else knows the rules and you keep losing.  That’s no fun.  

It doesn’t have to be that way.  If marketing is important to you – and if you are in business, I assure you, it is – then you have to make it a priority.  Study it, get better at it and you’ll see it pay off.  You have to invest the time first, before you get the return.  That requires a leap of faith.  But hey, what choice do you have?

“I don’t like marketing / selling.”

How do you know you don’t?  

Most people I meet feel that marketing is pushy, like having to force people to listen to you.  They also think selling is cold calling.  Or something a used car salesman does.  

OK, so just because some people are doing it WRONG, does that mean you have to do it that way?  It’s like seeing a rude, obnoxious person from your team, country or organization making a fool of himself and thinking, “We’re not ALL that way.”

Marketing is just sharing information about how you help people.  

Selling is saying how you would help a particular someone with their specific need.

It’s not a matter of like or dislike; it’s a matter of learning to do things more effectively so that those who need you seek you out.

“I’m no good at writing.”

Who ever said you had to write?  Writing needs to be done, but there are lots of ways for that to happen.  

I advised one client this week how to work with a freelance writer.  His role is to brainstorm topics, since he knows what is important to his clients and where his expertise lies.  After he selects 8-10 topics, the writer I referred him to will interview him according to the bullet points (main subtopics) he wrote for each one. Then, she’ll write the articles which he can approve and use as needed.  

That’s only one option.  You might also decide to use audio or video instead of writing.

Creativity blasts molehills AND mountains.

“I can’t afford to build a website / blog.”

Really?  How much does it cost?

What amazes me is how often an assumption rules our reality.  Maybe you can’t afford a $10,000 website, but who says you have to pay that?  My team and I routinely launch great-looking blogs for less than $50 and a few hours of our time.  Some of those new sites started generating revenue quickly, because we built them according to a specific goal.

Before you assume you can’t afford it, spend time thinking about your goals for your site.  What do you really need to accomplish that?  Then, do some research to find out what it might realistically cost.  I’d check with colleagues to see what they have done, or you can always contact me.  

Don’t let mistaken assumptions keep you from the growth you deserve.

“What if ____ happens?”

Fear of failure, fear of success and fear of the unknown: these are the main mindset obstacles I see.  I deal with them myself.  One of the keys to handling “what if?” is to complete the sentence – and the entire picture – to see if the fear is really so bad after all.

The other day I spoke with two owners of multimillion dollar businesses about the benefits of having a blog.  Both of them (same day, different meetings!) said, “Oh we couldn’t have a blog.  What if we got negative comments?”

Me: <Incredulous stare>

Are you kidding?  The fear of negative &^%#$# comments is preventing you from enjoying the benefits of a blog, among them the chance to position yourself as an expert, attract scads of traffic to your website and clients from it, and engage your community in a dialogue in which a small majority might say something negative?

So, follow it out: What if we got negative comments?

Well, you’d deal with them in a professional, skillful way.  Next? 

What if there were a lot of them?

Wow, you’d learn there must be a real customer service problem, and you’d have a chance to improve it.  It would be embarrassing in the short-term but, handled correctly, it could win you some credibility and loyalty in the long-term.

Sounds like a worthwhile exercise!

“I don’t know how to …”

OK, neither did I.  So, I made time and studied it.  In fact, I spent about half my working hours (and big bucks) this year studying new stuff, like blogging, Internet marketing, keyword research, search engine optimization, article marketing, social networking, online video and inbound marketing.  And that’s not even all of it!

Not everyone knows everything, but winners don’t let it stop them.  It all starts at the beginning: to know your next step and take it.  Make a list of what you want to learn.  Find out where you can learn it.  Schedule time and study.  Rinse and repeat.

“I did some marketing but it didn’t work.”

So did I. That was Tuesday.  On Wednesday I got up and tried again and it went better.  

Marketing is not an event; it’s a process. If you want, you can consider it a spiritual practice, a way we demonstrate commitment to ourselves and the Universe.  If it wasn’t a little bit challenging, everyone would always get what they wanted, and how interesting would that be?

What excuses, fears and limiting beliefs have gotten in the way of your dreams? Please share them in the comments below.  But only the POSITIVE ones.

Adorable hamster photo by annia316

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