| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
A Point in Every Direction is the Same As No Point At All
Ever try to be something for everyone and find no one wants it? Do you have trouble finding the time to focus on your business? Do you do so much for so many that you find it's difficult to make any financial progress in your business; much less make an indelible mark in the mind of your potential customers? I found myself on that road so many times, that I could be a tour guide for Please-want-me-ville. Where did this come from and how can you get it to stop? It starts publicly when we're very young... at school. A moment emblazoned in my mind was in Mrs. Moon's kindergarten class. I had just discovered a squirreled stash of my favorite food, Pepperidge Farms Goldfish Crackers, in the front pocket of my patchwork dress. I squealed with delight and proudly started munching on them in the middle of "two plus three". My delight turned to horror when I heard, "Miss Castle, I hope you have enough for everyone or you will stand in the front of the class with your face in the corner!" Out of nowhere, large beads of sweat developed on my forehead as I desperately searched every inch of my two-inch square pocket for enough goldfish to feed the entire class. Even though we were only on "addition", somehow I knew that four fishes and a tail wouldn't cut it. With my face in the corner for those very long twenty minutes, I vowed that I would always have enough to make everyone happy. In business, these fish have come back to bite me over and over again; until I started teaching people how to brand. Now they can 'gold-fish' for themselves. As a teenager, I developed 'I don't have enough friends' syndrome. Not being one of the 'cool-n-popular' types, I had to buy my friends (I hope I'm not the only one who did this). And since I wasn't the brain, I couldn't find my value in helping friends get "A's. I did everything else: the grunt work, the labor, the runs to the store, the 'kill- the messenger' calls, the kind of stuff that took me away from most of the 'friend' action. I did so much that I had no time to develop the relationships that I wanted in the first place. I was spread so thin... I was transparent! No wonder for the first few years of my business, I worked unbelievably hard but had nothing (no money, no value) to show for it. It wasn't until I turned my focus inward that I really started to build something of value that customers wanted. A few dictionary definitions of focus: 1. concentrated effort or attention on a particular thing 2. a concentrated and unified quality 3. the quality of being sharply defined with clear edges and contrast A few dictionary definitions of inward: 1. situated within something 2. relating to or existing in the mind or spirit 3. toward the inside or center of something Your business can never be developed as a brand until you first: a) suspend the need to be something for everyone, and b) sharply define with clear edges from your inside or center The challenge to our business success grows when we compound these learned behaviors with the entrepreneurial fear that we need to be attractive to e-v-e-r-y- o-n-e in order to survive. Especially because we don't know when and from where the next customer will come. I've done that dance too. (You know, the one when you get off the phone with a new client closing a "new tiny project that feels huge because it's the only one you have 'dance'). If you identify at all with this, how's it working for you? For me it didn't! Nothing did until I: 1) deeply connected to what I offered, found my uniqueness in it and built on the internal power of it (the first part of the BrandU? process), and 2) communicated it consistently with precision and quality (the second part of the BrandU? process known as CLICsm). The points of effort that you are sending out in every direction - squandering your focus externally, trying to be something for everyone, doing so much that results so little - all start from somewhere. That somewhere is a place that you control. The seeds of your brand are planted there. Don't be affected by your programming, program your success. I promise you that if plant it there and tend it, it will grow, and grow, and... grow! And you will be filled with joy and financial success, and the freedom to enjoy it. © 2003 Castle Montone, Limited All Rights Reserved. Written by Kim Castle, the Co-founder of BrandU? - the home of only step-by- step process for developing your business as a brand from the inside out! To get information on upcoming BrandU one-day workshops: http:// www.whybrandu.com/Public/events/workshop/index.cfm?semID=13 Get your Why You?!(sm) monthly ezine for easy-to-read tips and informative insights on branding. To subscribe: http://www.whybrandu.com/ "BrandU? - Big Business Success No Matter Your Size"
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Dont Let Your Business Cards End Up in the Trash Business cards are such wonderfully creative little marketing products. Most of them, unfortunately, end up in the nearest trash basket. Online Mentorship Programs: Cash in on Your Expertise Whether you're a former retail store owner known for your creativity, a championship bridge player, or a psychotherapist with a long current waiting list for openings, if you possess expertise that makes colleagues and aficionados want your pearls of wisdom, you can create a new income stream with an online mentorship program.Such a program charges a fee for people to sit at your feet and learn from you. 10 Simple Ways to Boost Your Sales IMMIDIATELY! Alright you've got yourself a nice website with a great design and a good steady traffic coming in.. Private Practice Marketing: 3 More Things I Wish I Knew When I First Started 1) Create systemsCreate systems for everything you do, especially those things you do on a regular basis.My members and mentees ask me all the time how do I manage to get so much done. Four Essential Marketing Plan Components Preparing a Marketing Plan for your product or service is a real eye-opening experience. While we all hope that our product or service will appeal to the masses, the truth is, that may not happen. Creative Online Marketing For Salespeople and Business Professionals New to a sales career? Want to market yourself but don't have the money to do so? Tired of cold calling and prospecting? Wish there were an easier way to get the word out about your services?Does this sound like you? This was what I felt like when I got my first sales job selling copiers ten years ago. My sales manager back then was into the traditional methods of getting new business; that is, prospecting, cold calling, booking appointments, doing product demonstrations, and closing sales. Customizing Booklets By Industry or By Company Customizing booklets can be done by industry or by company."110 Ideas for Organizing Your Travel Business Office" or "110 Ideas for Organizing Your Beauty Salon" or "110 Ways for Organizing Your Fitness Center" are examples of customizing a generic booklet about organizing your business life according to specific industries. How to Successfully Promote your Business to an International Audience Breaking into the international marketplace can catapult a company into increased profitability and growth more rapidly than when selling to a domestic market.But how do you market your company successfully to overseas buyers? What can you do to provide the right information to prospective clients that is informative and engaging? How can you stand out from the crowd?The most common promotional approach is to provide brochures. The Power Of A Story If you want your marketing to be effective, you absolutely must connect emotionally with your prospects. And one of the best ways to do that is by telling a story. Nine Advance Networking Skills for Seasoned Networkers A seasoned networker knows the real meaning of networking -- being organized, efficient, effective, and, of course, work the event to its fullest. Attending networking groups after so many years can tire and drain anyone's excitement. How to Booste Your Profit Quickly There are so many competitions by running business. So you must do something in a smart way. Marketing Tips: Free First When people think about promoting their business, the first thought that comes to mind is, "What is is going to cost?" While marketing and advertising should be part of any well-considered budget, there are a number of opportunities to market your business for free that are often overlooked.Clubs & OrganizationsMost clubs and organizations have some sort of membership directory, either online or in print, sometimes both. Direct Mail Offers: Eight Steps to Making them Effective Every direct mail package you drop in the mail should contain an offer. The offer is the incentive or reward that motivates prospects to respond to your mailing, either with an order or with a request for more information. Reasons Why People Usually Dont Buy Again There are many psychological reasons why people will buy from the first time and why they do not buy from you again. There are books on many of these reasons. Is Your 4X4 Trail Rated? "Traction. Articulation. Build A Successful Business By Staying Connected Over the course of your business life you'll come in contact with a number of other business people. They could be lawyers, business services, suppliers, customers, etc. Teaming Up Marketing and Sales The Pitchers: SalesLet's say you have a new baseball team in town and it's almost time for the first game of the season. Your sales force is ready to sell a variety of package deals for the season. The M-Word It was a real eye-opener to hear the perceptions people have about what it means to market professional services, as well as the anxiety the "m-word" (marketing) conjures up. It reminded me that, just because professional service providers have a lot of expertise in their chosen field, it doesn't mean they have the same level of understanding about the business of growing a practice. Tradeshow Booth Cures - Living Color Feng Shui is the Ancient Chinese practice of configuring home or work environments to promote health, happiness, and prosperity. By utilizing elements such as light and color, Feng Shui Masters used their skill to promote the flow of "chi", or vital energy , to protect and enhance the prosperity of the Imperial Dynasties. Two Methods of Marketing Using Joint Ventures Whether you're a contractor a local merchant with 150 employees, whichever, however or whatever, you've got to know how to keep your business alive during rough economic times. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
