Saturday, March 21, 2009

Embrace The Enlightened Marketer In You

By Lydia Hurlbut

Would you like to look forward to marketing and have it be a joyful experience where you formed meaningful relationships with others? What if you could bring forth your gifts and help those in need of your service? Does it now feel valuable and not pushy?

First, become aware of your unconscious thoughts by writing down the answer to the following statement, "Marketing is ..." Perhaps you associate it with a past experience such as a pushy person at the mall trying to sell you their cuticle buffer. Or maybe you resist learning new ways to promote your business because you dislike self-promotion. Do you prefer to fly solo and dislike being in partnership with others? It is critical to write down your present thoughts and feelings about marketing to create awareness in order to shift your future thinking.

It is possible to enjoy reaching out and have fun attracting new clients if you do it in a way that you enjoy. Get rid of the words "I should" and be willing to create or try existing methods without resistance. Marketing is going out into the world and telling others how you can help them in an authentic, ethical manner.

Let's take Sue, a graphic designer as an example. Sue knows a great logo generates an initial impression for business and gives customers an unique understanding of what service that business offers. Sue needs to communicate that added value to her clients to have them appreciate her service.

Next, Sue can create a deeper understanding of her creative process for her clients. She needs to explain her gift for creating concrete images from huge dreams and vague ideas. Sue does that by careful listening combined, spending time getting to know her clients and using her intuition about what is important. The result is a one of a kind company logo.

Sue could choose to focus on logo redesign. Becoming an expert in a specific area allows you to eliminate the competition and claim a unique position in the marketplace. Knowing your unique talents and focusing on what you enjoy doing the most is critical. A natural consequence of that is greater creativity and looking forward to reaching out!

What could Sue do to attract clients?

1. Offer a monthly class on business card redesign. It would be a great way to get to know local people in her community for future referrals, naturally attract a few new clients and consistently command expert status.

2. Write a paper on how a good logo benefits a business for her website or the local newspaper.

3. Give a workshop or form a teleclass about how to design a logo that stands out.

4. Speak at the local chamber of commerce about the importance of a well-designed logo.

5. Redesign her website and offer a promotion reflecting her expertise such as 30% off for logo redesign for the next 60 days.

Client attraction and outreach can be exciting if you find 5 specific ways to do it that match your personality. You will benefit others by sharing your unique talent and serving their need. In turn, they will grow and experience a positive shift by getting to know you and your specific gift. Make it fun and easy for people to reach out and ask for your service. Become inspired to develop new ways to let yourself be known and share your gift with the world; your business will thrive! - 15246

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