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Submitted 2011-11-06 01:45:51
We all make marketing mistakes. But one of the worst is failing to invest in our marketing. And not just investing money.
Some time ago I got an email from one of my customers. It said: "Do you think, by me learning from your Marketing Club, I can become a marketing consultant? Or do I need lots more than that?"
That's a little like saying, "If I read Gray's Anatomy, can I become a doctor?"
So yes, you'll need a lot more than that. Even if what you want to do is market your services competently, with less struggle and better results, you're going to have to invest in yourself. It will take some time, money and effort.
"But how much," everyone asks me, "before I start seeing results and start attracting clients consistently? How much time, money and effort do I actually need to invest?"
I think the big key here is "Smart Investing." You need to invest in developing skills, not just in accumulating more information. The information is important, but only if it's applied. This is why workshops or programs that are much more focused on creating plans and building skills are better than stuffing your head with more marketing ideas.
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've purchased various marketing products and programs. You've probably noticed that most of these programs are heavy on information, but most also include step-by-step instructions that help you build actual marketing skills.
But even when programs include lots of hands-on exercises, specific directions on writing marketing materials or scripting selling conversations, most people skip those parts, planning to "get to them later." Instead, they skim through them, looking for pearls of wisdom and silver bullets, hoping the skills are transferred by osmosis. Well, good luck!
If you invest a little more time in doing the exercises and action plans they all contain, the riches will reveal themselves. You'll start to have "ah-has" and a deeper understanding of how marketing works its magic.
For instance, I've seen clients take just one marketing concept (such as the "Perfect Proposal") and make the effort to write it out using the format I've given them and then fine tuning it. For several people this has resulted in contracts worth as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yes, it took some time and effort to get the proposal process right, but it was worth it.
Now that's a smart investment!
The big investment wasn't really the money for the program but the time and the effort to implement. And as simple as this sounds, there are some real obstacles to implementation. After all, if implementation was easy, we'd all be outrageously successful.
Successful implementation involves these steps:
1. An openness to try something new and a willingness to follow directions. This alone stops many people cold, before they've even started.
2. Diligence and discipline in learning the basics. Notice that doctors don't start with brain surgery? They practice the fundamentals first.
3. A tolerance for trial and error. Testing, measuring and fine tuning are all necessary in order to get consistent results.
4. Resilience in the face of failure. Sometimes you'll be lucky enough to quickly hit on the right formula. But more often than not your first attempts will be flops.
5. A sense of play and adventure. If you play at your marketing, instead of grimly working at it, you'll tend to get better results.
So, no, you're not going to become a marketing genius overnight. There's a lot to learn. What I recommend is focusing on one thing at a time (your marketing message, face-to-face conversations, making appointments, a 10 mistakes article, the first issue of an eZine); and these, small but potent, investments in your marketing will start to pay big returns before you know it.
The More Clients Bottom Line: Put just one to three hours a week into learning a new marketing skill. Set a goal; study the appropriate information, and work at implementing it step-by-step. Measure your results and watch your fortunes grow.
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By: Robert Middleton
We all make marketing mistakes. But one of the worst is failing to invest in our marketing. And not just investing money.
Some time ago I got an email from one of my customers. It said: "Do you think, by me learning from your Marketing Club, I can become a marketing consultant? Or do I need lots more than that?"
That's a little like saying, "If I read Gray's Anatomy, can I become a doctor?"
So yes, you'll need a lot more than that. Even if what you want to do is market your services competently, with less struggle and better results, you're going to have to invest in yourself. It will take some time, money and effort.
"But how much," everyone asks me, "before I start seeing results and start attracting clients consistently? How much time, money and effort do I actually need to invest?"
I think the big key here is "Smart Investing." You need to invest in developing skills, not just in accumulating more information. The information is important, but only if it's applied. This is why workshops or programs that are much more focused on creating plans and building skills are better than stuffing your head with more marketing ideas.
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've purchased various marketing products and programs. You've probably noticed that most of these programs are heavy on information, but most also include step-by-step instructions that help you build actual marketing skills.
But even when programs include lots of hands-on exercises, specific directions on writing marketing materials or scripting selling conversations, most people skip those parts, planning to "get to them later." Instead, they skim through them, looking for pearls of wisdom and silver bullets, hoping the skills are transferred by osmosis. Well, good luck!
If you invest a little more time in doing the exercises and action plans they all contain, the riches will reveal themselves. You'll start to have "ah-has" and a deeper understanding of how marketing works its magic.
For instance, I've seen clients take just one marketing concept (such as the "Perfect Proposal") and make the effort to write it out using the format I've given them and then fine tuning it. For several people this has resulted in contracts worth as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yes, it took some time and effort to get the proposal process right, but it was worth it.
Now that's a smart investment!
The big investment wasn't really the money for the program but the time and the effort to implement. And as simple as this sounds, there are some real obstacles to implementation. After all, if implementation was easy, we'd all be outrageously successful.
Successful implementation involves these steps:
1. An openness to try something new and a willingness to follow directions. This alone stops many people cold, before they've even started.
2. Diligence and discipline in learning the basics. Notice that doctors don't start with brain surgery? They practice the fundamentals first.
3. A tolerance for trial and error. Testing, measuring and fine tuning are all necessary in order to get consistent results.
4. Resilience in the face of failure. Sometimes you'll be lucky enough to quickly hit on the right formula. But more often than not your first attempts will be flops.
5. A sense of play and adventure. If you play at your marketing, instead of grimly working at it, you'll tend to get better results.
So, no, you're not going to become a marketing genius overnight. There's a lot to learn. What I recommend is focusing on one thing at a time (your marketing message, face-to-face conversations, making appointments, a 10 mistakes article, the first issue of an eZine); and these, small but potent, investments in your marketing will start to pay big returns before you know it.
The More Clients Bottom Line: Put just one to three hours a week into learning a new marketing skill. Set a goal; study the appropriate information, and work at implementing it step-by-step. Measure your results and watch your fortunes grow.
Author Resource:->??Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing has been helping Independent Professionals attract more clients since 1984. Robert is the author of the online bestsellers, the InfoGuru Marketing Manual and the WebSite ToolKit. Robert's site is a great resource for any self-employed professional. Get Robert's free report, "The 5 Key Strategies to Attracting More High-End Clients."
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Source: http://www.nextlevelarticles.com/Art/501143/24/Smart-Marketing-Investing.html
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