Inside Out Approach To Entrepreneurship, Part 4, Learn Marketing
October 20, 2008 by Akemi
Learn marketing or go bust
This is yet another thing I did wrong when I first started as a new entrepreneur, so learn from my mistakes. I didn’t fully understand the importance of marketing. I had the typical employee mindset – I thought if I offer excellent service, somehow the clients would show up, and I’d make money. Wrong. (Image by Patrick J Lynch)
Right now, there are tons of professionals who can offer outstanding services and yet have so few clients. Many are forced to go back to regular employment out of financial needs. I was pretty close to the low point. Gee, just remembering how I was feeling with that dim outlook makes me cringe.
If you can, start learning about marketing ASAP while you still have employment. It will save you a lot of heartache.
Get Clients Now! — marketing coach in a book
For me, there were two things that helped me to get clients. One, I hired Naomi Dunford and got her personalized advice. It was well worth the money. Two, I read several books on marketing, including Get Clients Now!
This book is like a marketing coach in a book. After briefly explaining the marketing theory, it shows the various approaches from which you are to choose and make your own specific action plan for the next 30 days. It is so practical. Many books talk about marketing ideas that sound nice, but after reading those books, I found myself saying to myself, “Okay . . . so what do I do?” With Get Clients Now! you are writing down your action plan by the time you are one-third way of the book.
It even shows the relative effectiveness of each marketing approach (Let me tell you, advertisement is low in the ranking) so you get to make informed choices. Then you make a checklist, and work on the plan day in day out. The book comes with daily encouragement, the author talking to you from the page as your marketing coach.
It’s important to choose the approach that utilizes your strengths. I like writing, so I blog and network through this platform, but there are other ways. For example, a friend of mine has made a strong connection with the local alternative health center, where people who are more open to spiritual healing gather. If you are like hands-on face-to-face communication, this kind of approach is great.
Regarding the 30 day plan I made according to the Get Clients Now!, I haven’t completed it honestly. It was so effective that I got plenty of clients somewhere in week 3 and forgot about filling the checklist. Now I know clients come in waves, so there may be times in the future when I need to do more marketing – but then I know what to do. I go back to this book, make a new plan, and work on it.
Marketing is about communicating your love for the work you do
Here is the surprising part: I now love marketing. I used to hate the idea of marketing and sales, to talk people into buying my service. I felt shallow when I had to do it. It didn’t fit into my philosophy of “Live and Let Live” And I usually didn’t make the sale, so that added to my negative feeling and hesitation about marketing.
I have a different idea about marketing now. Marketing is about introducing and educating people about the thing I love so much. I love it, I firmly believe it has lots of value, so I want to talk about it. Just like I want to talk about the great movie I saw. I don’t care all that much if my “marketing” results in immediate sales. If it does, it’s great, and I know my service has more value than the money my clients pay, so I feel good. If it doesn’t, I still feel good because I know I gave them valuable info.
Ironically, it seems to me that the less I care about the immediate results of my marketing, the more sales I make. By far, the best marketing gig I’ve done so far for my Akashic Record Reading was the interview Hunter Nuttall facilitated. I worked on that interview over the long Labor Day Weekend without expecting sales at all. I did the interview because Hunter is my friend, he had my reading and had lots of great questions that I found interesting too. It’s an interview, so there is really no sales talk. But the readers picked our enthusiasm, they asked many thought-provoking questions in the comments, and a good number of them contacted me directly ^_^ (And I’m sure the posts were great traffic attractor for Hunter, too. It was a win-win-win for Hunter, readers, and me. Now send a few more interviews like this my way, and I’ll be rich ^_^)
So again, it’s critical to choose your business niche based on what you love, as we discussed in part 1 of this Inside Out Approach To Entrepreneurship series. Your love and passion will show when you talk to people, and therefore it will affect your sales. And when you love what you do, you almost owe to deliver it to the appropriate audience. How can you possibly keep that goodie to yourself? Love is better shared, we all know that.
Do you like marketing? Do you have great marketing ideas? (I’m still learning, so I’m all ears if you do!)
Further reading: Learning to Love Networking Learn three practical techniques to make your great first move in networking that is critical in any marketing. Or read on to Part 5 of this series.
If you like this article, you might enjoy my eBook on spiritual entrepreneurship. Click here for free, immediate download
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Insufficient or messed up marketing must be one of the biggest reasons people fail, so I can definitely see how Naomi and that book helped you tremendously. I’m glad our interview (thanks for the link) brought you clients, even if that wasn’t the main objective. Just don’t forget me when you’re rich and famous.
Hunter Nuttalls last blog post..MBTI Trial Week 2: Sensing (Recap)
[...] Learn marketing. [...]
Hunter,
You are my friend, so how do I forget you ^_^
So true! I used to think I didn’t enjoy marketing … and now it has become another avenue of authentic self-expression in my business.
I think authenticity is key. If we “hate” our marketing efforts, there’s no way that, energetically speaking, we can create excellent results. If we’re coming from the enjoyment of our work, though, then how can we not put that joy out into the world and attract more clients? Akemi, your story illustrates that perfectly!
Not all marketing strategies are for all people. Just because something works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for all. That’s why I’m doing intuitive work for business now!
Another great resource on marketing for independent professionals that I would recommend is Michael Port’s “Book Yourself Solid” and “Beyond Booked Solid.” He also hosts a free weekly call “The Think Big Revolution” that’s really a great tool for us solopreneurs to connect and stay inspired. You can register at http://www.michaelport.com.
Blessings,
Andrea
Andrea Hess|Intuition In Businesss last blog post..Expanding Your Financial Frame of Reference
Hi Andrea,
Yes, yes! I hope more and more people get to the fun of marketing!
Michael Port is good, too. More entertaining than Get Client Now!
Akemi you are wise beyond your years. You woke up to the necessity for marketing way before I did. I used to resist it like crazy. Perhaps because I spent 23 years in direct sales selling the services of others before I represented my own. I was just tired of the push. I like what Andrea has to say. We’ve had this conversation before and she’s spot on. When you market authentically it gets easier and more effective.
Tom,
Thank you for your kind words, but “beyond my years”? How old do you think I am? That photo is from three or four years ago — I don’t intend to mislead people, but I just don’t have recent photos. And I look young ^_^
I saw your group coaching for aspiring entrepreneurs. Sounds very good.
Akemi,
First – I love Naomi – she’s my idol as far as authentic self-expression goes.
And I would imagine your head was spinning and overflowing with ideas after an hour with her!
Second – you make the most important point (IMHO) when you say you must choose your niche from what you love. I VEHEMENTLY agree, and I’m living proof that doing so makes all the difference in the world.
For me, word of mouth is the source of almost 100% of my new clients. I was just sharing with Tom this morning that at first it made me REALLY nervous because word-of-mouth and whether it happens, or not, is not directly up to me…and the fear was it could dry up at any moment and then what?
Except, it IS largely up to me if WOM happens – because I can directly affect someone’s desire to refer me to people they know based on being brave enough to be my REAL self with them and by doing a great job for them. You’re right – clients come in waves, but we should always be doing some form of marketing. The thing is, when you realize how natural marketing CAN be, it really opens up all kinds of possibilities and makes it really fun…something you no longer dread, but find yourself doing somewhat automatically.
Great post!
Suzanne
Suzanne Bird-Harris | vAssistant Servicess last blog post..Project Powerful and Positive
Suzanne,
Good to see you again, and I’m glad you are doing well!
Word of mouth is great. I get lots of clients by WOM, too. I feel very honored about it.
I like marketing so much these days. I’m definitely a people person and I love the attention I get when I talk about my spiritual service!
It’s a beautiful thing when you start viewing “marketing” as merely “spreading the word” about the solutions you offer.
It’s been my experience that “marketing” brings up images of “push selling” in most people’s minds. In this scenario, you’re trying to coerce someone into buying something they don’t want or need.
On the other hand, if you approach your “marketing” with the view that people have problems, goals and desires, then everything changes. Suddenly, you’re offering solutions those problems – you’re offering WAYS to achieve those goals, you have a way to satisfy those desires.
Then marketing becomes easy and even fun! (Then again, you’ve seen that in action with your own practice!!!)
Kathys last blog post..If it ain’t broken, PLEASE don’t fix it!
Hi Akemi,
Thank you for stopping over at my blog. This is a great post and something I needed to read now
I think I want to be a coach sometime in the future, but for now I am working on another internet based startup. My blog has been something I have wanted to build and grow for a long while…
But from your post, it seems that if we are passionate and have something to offer we should do a service to ourselves and others by marketing it. And I will do that starting today
Thanks again for the inspiration!
Kathy,
Exactly! I’m still learning how to do this in practice, but I think I’ve got the hang of it.
Maya,
Welcome! I love your “starting today” part — you go girl. You have a lot to offer.
I agree. Marketing is the key to success!
I’m a physician and I’ve never learned “know how” to bussiness.
So, I really got to read this book and learn the bussiness side
to success, because no matter how much knowledge I have to
healing, if people do not know that I’m here to help, that knowledge
wouldn’t be any help to anyone.
Alex,
I checked your website. Very interesting. I’m Japanese and my grandfather was a physician.
Hi Akemi: I’m a lawyer but I went to business school before law school and majored in marketing. I’ve read that having a product or service and failing to market it is kind of like winking at a girl in the dark; you know you’re doing it, but nobody else does
That book looks really interesting, I think I’m going to add it to my list of books to read, thank you.
Akemi-
I can honestly say, this has been one of the best blogs I have read since I was introduced to blogging back in April 08. This Series has been most informing for me. I have a feeling Tom’s “Leverging Community” will no doubt be a huge success. I have already benefited already by finding your blog! I look forwarded to reading your past articles and get caught up.
Keep up the great work!
Marelisa,
I like that analogy! And I’m impressed with your educational background.
Kristy,
Thank you. Part 5 will be up next week!
So are so right about the marketing. My blog is a newsletter for small to mid-size nonprofit organizations. Each one of them has a wonderful mission in there own right. The problem is that their mission is not widely known. My goal is to help them change that.
Susan,
Yes, marketing is so important. What good can a good organization do if few people know about it? I’m glad you are helping them out.
I felt (and sometimes still) feel the same way you mentioned you felt about marketing–sort of guilty or weird about doing it.
But your positive approach to “showing people something you love”–that simple shift in mindset and semantics–is exaclty the thing I try to do when I tell people about what I’m doing and the copywriting services I provide. It’s still a struggle though.
Hi Chris,
Welcome. You are getting it. Now the challenge is how to let that struggle part go.
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