Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

"You'll Do It When You're Tired"

Hmmmm... that may be the dumbest prediction you've ever heard...

You'll do what, exactly? 

In a word: Succeed.

You know - get "it" done...

That pet project of yours, that book, that event, that special thing you've been working on, talking about, noodling, doodling, and planning for YEARS...  

Tired? Tired of what, exactly? 

• Tired of struggling
• Tired of excuses
• Tired of missing out
• Tired of complaining how hard it is
• Tired of striving
• Tired of faking it
• Tired of wishing
• Tired of hoping
• Tired of (day)dreaming
• Tired of fantasizing
• Tired of sketching
• Tired of postponing
• Tired of obsessing
• Tired of perfectionism (perfect time, place, people, conditions)
• Tired of being safe
• Tired of disappointment
• Tired of watching others zoom by you
• Tired of sitting on the sidelines
• Tired of keeping score when you're not even in the game
• Tired of talking
• Tired of planning
• Tired of noodling
• Tired of doodling
• Tired of starting 
• Tired of choking
• Tired of quitting
• Tired of fear
• Tired of uncertainty
• Tired of self-doubt

So what the hell are you supposed to do instead?

• Launch!
• Go!!
• DO!!!
• Kick ass
• Take names
• Leap - and the net will appear
• Make it happen
• Get off your buts
• Climb in the cockpit
• Strap in
• Light the afterburners
• Jump out of the plane
• Figure out the rest on the way down
• Yes, YOU!
• Yes, really REALLY YOU!!!

Why am I telling you all this?

Well, because I'm kinda doing it myself...

After.

Ten.

Years. 

The small business conference idea I had 10 years ago was a victim of a decade of noodling, doodling, planning, and dreaming.

Not any more.

Check it out: America Talks Business. 

Buy an early bird ticket. Share the web link with a friend. Bring a whole posse with you. 

Or don't.

'Cuz we're gonna have an amazing entrepreneurial conference anyway. (It would just be a lot more fun with YOU there to take part.)

Bottom line: I got tired. I'm doing it. 

You can do it, too.

What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation... 

Tags: marketing speaker, marketing strategy, marketing success, thought leadership marketing, business coaching, trusted advisor marketing, marketing professional services firms, marketing coaching, marketing coach, success tips, small business marketing, doit marketing, do it marketing, marketing tip, doitmarketing, business coach

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, thought leadership marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, marketing coaching, marketing coach, marketing consultant, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing

Here are the top 7 things that entrepreneurs, business owners, and independent professionals must do every single day:
 

1. Revisit your goals, milestones, and metrics for the day, week, month, and quarter (financial, marketing, sales, operations)...
   
   Ramifications if not done daily - you lose sight of the big picture and get pulled off your game by distractions, trivia, and  grunt work.
    
2. Put new prospects on your radar via strategic outreach...
   
   Ramifications if not done daily - your sales and marketing start to slip and you suffer from the feast-or-famine small business sales rollercoaster.
    
3. Thank your team - whether in-house, outsourced, full-time, or virtual...
   
   Ramifications if not done daily - your team loses their motivation, momentum, and mojo. Once that's gone, they're halfway out the door. 
    
4. Offer value - in terms of content, your blog, a video, a resource, a referral, a favor, a gift...
   
   Ramifications if not done daily - you become just more marketing noise and customers and prospects tune you out and see you as a peddler, not a partner.
    
5. Invite engagement - online, offline, in-person, by phone or Skype; ask and answer questions, solicit feedback, invite comments, send a survey...
   
   Ramifications if not done daily - your business becomes isolated as you talk AT your customers and clients rather than talk WITH them. 
    
6. Recharge your batteries - just like the airlines say, "secure your own mask before assisting others"...
   
   Ramifications if not done daily - entrepreneurial burnout, stress, drinking, drugs, and divorce. Don't laugh - you could be next.
    
7. Be gracious and grateful - take a moment to appreciate what you have, what you've built, and who you get to serve each day...
   
   Ramifications if not done daily - instead of becoming more and more fulfilling, your business success becomes a trap, a race, and a never-ending contest that you can never win. Stop and smell the coffee!

What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation... 

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, thought leadership marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing for trainers, marketing coaching, small business marketing expert, marketing ideas, marketing coach, motivational speaker marketing, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing, small business marketing coach

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, marketing concept, thought leadership marketing, marketing professional services, trusted advisor marketing, marketing for trainers, marketing professional services firms, marketing coaching, marketing coach, marketing consultant, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing, content marketing, business blogging, conference speaker

Good!

Quit!!

Please, for heaven's sakes - quit already. 

Over the past few weeks, I've come across way too many complainers, whiners, goofballs and goobers telling me how broke they are, how hard it is to be an entrepreneur, and how much they are struggling. 

Are you kidding me? QUIT NOW because...

• If you want to make an EVEN trade of hours for dollars - get a JOB. 
• If you want to be ASSURED of a paycheck - get a JOB. 
• If you want OTHERS to define your work and your value - get a JOB. 

However...

• If you want to MULTIPLY your own paycheck - be an entrepreneur.
• If you can PROVE your work has worth - be an entrepreneur.
• If YOU want to define your work and your value - be an entrepreneur.

So you should QUIT right now...

1. Quit whining
2. Quit complaining when your ideas and projects "fall apart"
   (HINT: It's YOUR job to pull them together!)
3. Quit saying lack of money is your problem
   (HINT: Lack of tenacity and creativity is your problem)
4. Quit going it alone
5. Quit hanging out with losers
6. Quit freeloading
7. Quit expecting "zero" investments (time, money, effort) to pay off
8. Quit following the herd
9. Quit relying on social media (it's the sauce, not the meat)
10. Quit believing your own negative self-talk
11. Quit playing the victim
12. Quit jumping from one hare-brained scheme to the next
13. Quit putting tactics before strategy 
14. Quit under-spending and over-hoping
15. Quit blaming others
16. Quit blaming yourself
17. Quit congratulating yourself on "the struggle"
18. Quit bragging about how hard you work and how little you sleep
19. Quit bragging (yes bragging!) about how little money you earn
20. Quit telling yourself you're doing your best, when you're not willing to do what needs to be done
21. Quit quitting when things seem impossible

Take a step back - breathe - think - regroup. 

This is no time to wimp out. 

Quit doing this destructive, dumb, demoralizing nonsense. 

And start turning things around. 

Today. Right now...  

Don't make me come down there and slap you upside your head! 

Grab your FREE copy of the Do It! Marketing Manifesto

And then leave a comment below with your questions, thoughts, and advice on the ideas above.

Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, marketing concept, thought leadership marketing, business coaching, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, marketing coaching, marketing coach, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing

Nope, this is NOT a post about that kind of soft, squishy "mission-vision" thing...

This post is about what's on your plate right now - today - right this minute. 

My friend, Jose Palomino, sent me an email this morning about some website tweaking that he's doing. He wrote, "Getting the timing right and the sliders to stop rotating after the final reveal is today's mission."

Bam - that was his ONE thing for today. Was he doing other tasks? You bet. Was he developing business, calling clients, following up on sales leads, and doing paperwork? Sure... but he also had his "mission" for the day. 

When it comes to being a small business owner, independent professional or speaker/consultant, you have a million things to do and a hundred priorities. 

Wouldn't having a SINGLE mission for the day be great? 

Well - you can. Many important tasks can be done in as little as 15 minutes -- and tackling ONE head-on might be exactly what you need to regain that most precious entrepreneurial asset - MOMENTUM.

Some examples to get you started: 

• Revise your home page copy
• Write an important email to a client or prospect
• Send an invoice you've been proscrastinating on
• Post a blog
• Submit an article to a trade journal or industry publication
• Respond to a media request
• Send out your email newsletter
• Circle back with a prospect who's on the fence
• Clean up your LinkedIn profile
• Post a long-overdue recommendation on LinkedIn
• Send a thank-you note
• Mail a book to a prospect, influencer or decision-maker
• Pick up the phone and apologize to someone important
• Ask for that referral you've been shy about pursuing
• Contact that virtual assistant you've been thinking of hiring 
• Post your internship job description with your local university
• Begin a research file or a Google Doc for your next book
• Make a list of 20 companies you'd like to do business with
• Clear off your desk (you can do this in 5 min. if you create a file folder called "Crap from Desk" and today's date!)
• Do a competitive sweep and see who's doing what in your industry so you can refresh your offerings
• Shoot a 2-minute video and post it to YouTube
• Buy my book and get $747 in bonuses right now (Shhh...)
• Erase the whiteboard in your office and create a "fresh start"
• Take yourself out to a coffee shop for a 2-hour strategic meeting with yourself, a legal pad, and a pack of Sharpies
• Take a nature walk and bring your pocket audio recorder or smart phone to capture ideas
• Reconnect with an old client, friend, or colleague
• Write an amazon book review for a book you admire in your field
• Call your tech wizard to fix a nagging technology problem you've been tolerating for way too long
• Leave a 45-second voicemail for a client just to say how much you value your relationship with them
• Visit your favorite bookstore or newsstand and buy a magazine to flip through for new business ideas

What's YOUR mission for today? 
 

Please share YOUR advice, insights and recommendations on this topic in the COMMENTS are below and...

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Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, thought leadership marketing, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing for trainers, marketing coaching, professional speaker marketing, marketing ideas, marketing coach, marketing consultant, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, content marketing

Tags: marketing for speakers, consulting firm marketing, thought leadership marketing, business coaching, freebies, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, sales prospecting, marketing coaching, marketing ideas, marketing coach, motivational speaker marketing, marketing consultant, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing, sales and marketing, content marketing, lead generation, becoming an expert, internet marketing

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