Marketing Person You Think You Arent

Have you thought about starting your own business? Have you started one and are having challenges with marketing, fear of failure, fear of success?I could go on and on. Has the question, Now what? ever entered your mind? If so, I would like to share my story with you. A journey, from corporate to business owner and everything in between.

After working in the corporate field for 25 years, an opportunity presented itself to start my own business, to work out of my home. I found a fulfilling profession in personal and business coaching. I love working with others helping them to achieve a better life for themselves. Although it was my choice to develop my own business, I did not have the marketing experience and desire I needed to build that client base. The truth is, I disliked (kind word) marketing, I didn't want to sell and I knew I didn't have what it takes to achieve this part of my business?or thought I didn't have what it takes. The fact is, if I had a dollar for every time I said, "I'm not a marketing person," I wouldn't have to market my business; I'd be set for life.

I did the typical routine of sending some letters of introduction to my friends and business acquaintances, giving away sample coaching sessions and making a few calls that felt safe. I even put a few ads in the paper. I soon came to the reality that the phone was not going to ring and people were not going to approach me while I was sitting comfortably at my desk. Then a turning point came while I was standing in my office one afternoon. I realized I just wasn't a person that could be an independent business owner - what was I thinking that I could do this? I decided I should quit and go back to an office job. At that moment I heard a voice; it was very clear. "If you quit before you've given it 100% you will be very disappointed in yourself for the rest of your life."

I thought I'd give it one more try. How was I going to do this? I asked myself two basic questions. What did I need and what did I want? The answers I received were simple. I needed movement and I wanted color. At that point that was all I knew. I decided to trust that these answers would forward my direction in marketing and building my business. About one week later I drove past a juggling academy in Burnsville MN. Color, movement - I signed up. I started with a juggling class, networked with friends and business peers and developed a monthly call with other business owners about "manifesting" what you desire. I started looking at me; what made me tick, what energized me and when was I at my best. This became a time period of self-discovery. I had been so tied up in who I thought I wasn't, I had forgotten who I was; a great team player, a great partner, the queen of brainstorming and resource extraordinaire. I thrived from the energy of others to help build my business. I needed diversity to keep things interesting and took a look at what really interested me. What were my strengths and what made me unique? I also looked at what was giving me energy and what was taking my energy. I decided to cut loose a part of my business that was draining rather than energizing. About 2 weeks later "Marketing On The Playground?" was born. I had created the space for what was supposed to come in by releasing what wasn't working.

About 1-½ years have passed since I allowed myself this self-discovery time and gave myself permission to market my business "my way". My business has blossomed into: 1) writing a booklet, "Marketing On The Playground?" 2) developing playshops and teleclasses to help others struggling with marketing their business 3) creating retreats for entrepreneurs that need time to get away and develop their ideas.

Here's the bottom line. Discover what works for you. It should be an extension of your own strengths, passions and uniqueness. You have chosen to be in your own business; that took guts, passion and a desire for making a better life for yourself. Tell me again why you don't think you have what it takes to market your business? If you have passions, interests, the strength, and I do mean strength to step into this world and set your own course, you have what it takes to market your business. Now, it's just a matter of finding what works for you.

What was my secret for overcoming obstacles? "True" belief. Belief so strong that you are willing to stand up and overcome anything and everything that challenges your vision.

A Few Marketing Tips:

Give yourself "permission" to follow your own style as an extension of yourself.
Network and Market Through Your Strengths, Your Passions and Your Uniqueness.
Trust Yourself - You are the only one who has Your own unique talent to market Your business.
Look at what's working and what's not - If it's not working do you need to cut it loose?
Believe in Yourself, and "Be" Yourself.

Visit http://www.marketingontheplayground.com to request your free Marketing on the Playground? booklet. Or e-mail beth@thepinnaclecoaches.com to receive an assessment tool to identify your passions and strengths. Copyright © 2003 Beth Woodward, Pinnacle Coaching Associates

About The Author

Beth Woodward, CPCC

Author of the booklet, Marketing On The Playground?

http://www.marketingontheplayground.com

612.861.7519

877.915.8090

beth@thepinnaclecoaches.com

More resources:

RELATED ARTICLES

7 Cheap & Easy Ways To Get Prospects
Here are some quick techniques you can put into place on your web site or in your advertising to gather new prospects. There is practically no cost for most of these strategies yet they have proven to be extremely effective in any number of different venues.

How To Market Effectively Even If No One Understands What You Do
So how do you effectively market your product or service when one knows anything about them because you're in a new and emerging industry? How can you expect to get customers if no one understands what it is that you do?If this is your situation then a big part of your marketing strategy will need to be educating consumers about what you do. If yours is a field that is relatively new, or perhaps misunderstood, adopting an education strategy can help consumers understand the benefits you provide and feel more comfortable with the idea of purchasing your products or services.

Put Your Marketing To The So What? Test
Want to get Better at your Marketing today?For many service business owners, marketing can be a real mystery. We don't really know exactly how it works.

Networking the Media
The media is a business's absolute best friend. It is THE source of information distribution to the masses.

Promotional Mugs: Become a Part of the Legendary Coffee Experience
When you want someone to like you, associate yourself with something that they love. Take coffee for instance.

Cave Paintings, Baseball and Connecting
There's no such thing as a captive audience--any of us can tune out at will. It may surprise you, then, to know that keeping people's attention in this high-tech age takes the same know-how we had in neolithic days.

Using Business Cards as Invitations
Business card size works well for invitations to special events.What do you visualize when you think about invitations? More than likely you are thinking about a wedding or a party.

Increase Sales With Travel Incentives
Today's business environment has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, it can be a tough task to make a sale. Just being aggressive doesn't cut it any longer.

The Easiest Small Business Direct Marketing Tip You'll Ever Get
This really and truly is the easiest (and most profitable) small business direct marketing tip you'll ever get. And when I say easy? I really mean EASY.

Promotional Lanyards to Market Your Products and Services
It has become fairly common place to see Id badges dangling from a persons neck on a short cord, and on the cord or small rope itself, is printed the name of a company, or a school or an event on it. When you spot one of these, you can be sure you're looking at a lanyard.

Strategic Marketing and Tactical Marketing Know The Differences And Profit
Most people mistakenly assume that when you talk about marketing, you're automatically talking about "Tactical" marketing - placing ads, generating leads, sending out mailers, attending trades shows, creating brochures, implementing a follow-up system, and so forth.They fail to realize that the "Strategic" side of the coin - what you say, how you say it, and who you say it to - is almost always MORE important than the marketing medium of WHERE you say it.

Mortgage Marketing and Advertising - The Magical Ingredient
Do you offer superior service, consistently close loans on time and overall are more adept than your competitors, yet you're struggling to figure out the mortgage marketing and advertising puzzle?For many loan officers, marketing is a real puzzle. Your expertise is in pricing loans, closing them on time and rendering quality service.

Big Money With Folios
One of the easiest, if not the easiest, ways of getting startedwith a profitable mail order business of your own is through thepromotion and sale of money-making folios or reports. Generally, the beginner purchases a series of thesereports-complete with reproduction rights.

Integrity and Marketing - Finding the Right Balance
When marketing themselves to leads and prospects there are five common mistakes people make, all which can be easily avoided by finding the right balance to maintain your personal and professional integrity in all pursuits.Five common mistakes many people make are;1.

Marketing as a Spiritual Practice II: Unearthing Your Potential
Marketing as we know it is over. Done.

Fundraising Letters Should Raise Donors, Not Donations, When Mailed to Strangers
Are you willing to spend $1.25 to raise $1? To lose money to make money? You should be.

Are You Losing Business?
As a small business owner, you are grateful for all of your clients or customers. But did you know that small business lose over 62% of sales because they don't follow up? You are caught up in the business of running your business you don't take the time to follow up with your clients.

Unleash the Powerful Promoter Within
Dear Friend,You're ripping me off.How? You may be thinking, "We just met.

Business Promotional Items - How to Stimulate Word of Mouth Advertising
If the promotional items you give out end up in the attic or shoved in the back of a desk drawer, they are probably not doing what they are supposed to be doing. However, if items you passed out to clients and customers are being seen again and again, chances are, word-of-mouth advertising is stimulating your business.

Marketing Strategy - Getting the Marketing Groove
Wouldn't it be great to have a year where your marketing efforts were streamlined and got the results you were after? None of us want to struggle with marketing, and yet this is the one topic that continues to be highest in the minds of small business professionals.Let's really consider some of the reasons that can sabotage our marketing efforts, and how we can turn that around.