Marketing…is like Dating. And you thought those days were over!
I like using the word Visibility as an alternative to Marketing. Have you noticed? It’s not that I have an aversion to ‘marketing’ because I love all the methods and strategies that help put us out there in a big way. It’s just that ‘marketing’ doesn’t quite appeal to me as much as ‘visibility’ does. It feels different doesn’t it!
However because I also love clarity, I’m going to use the word marketing for this particular tip this week.
When you put yourself out there you’re connecting with your ideal clients and establishing relationships with them, so that at some point they may take the step to work with you. Woohoo! That process is all ‘marketing’ – it actually encompasses perhaps a bit more the ‘visibility’.
My clients will be giggling to themselves as they read this because I use this analogy all the time. It really helps make it much clearer, that there is a clear process from the moment you connect with your ideal client, through to the moment they enroll your services.
Often we get very disheartened when we put ourselves out there, and for some reason the folks we’re connecting with don’t sign up with us straight away. Whether it’s at a networking group, or on a teleseminar, or when they come to our website and sign up on our email list, but don’t sign up on for our current programs or offerings. That’s why we call it Marketing, and not Sales. Sales comes further down the road of that process, unless you are serving an immediate need.
So here’s the thing… Imagine the scenario: You go into a bar, and sit down at the bar…, and a gentleman sits beside (or woman) you and buys you a drink. (G&T for me! 😉 ) And within 5 mins after only learning the person’s name, they turned around and asked you to marry them! Well I’m guessing that any person in their right mind, would immediately say no! Why… well it seems pretty obvious doesn’t it. You never had a chance to get to know this person. There is no trust established. You don’t know their values and desires and goals in life, or even if you have a connection or are energetically aligned in any way. You didn’t get a chance to date! There is a natural process of events… flirting, dating, engagement, marriage…(ok we’re talking traditional here, but bear with me!)
It’s exactly the same when you meet your ideal client! They need to build a relationship with you, even if it’s from a distance through your email list, reading your emails and your newsletters, hearing you speak etc. It’s what we in our marketing language might refer to as the ‘know, like and trust factor’. And to build that takes time. Each time they experience something of value from you, that increases. Each individual’s needs are different. Which means the ‘dating’ process might be shorter or longer… could be a month, could be 6 months, could even be 2 years. During that time your visibility methods and strategies are constantly touching them, providing value, and when the time is right they are ready to get ‘engaged’! (and then you move into Sales, and out of Marketing)
It’s easy to take their not acting on an offer personally, but really it has nothing to do with you (if you’ve got a clear message) because it just means the trust or value hasn’t been established or the need isn’t there in that moment. Another opportunity to not get caught up in our ego, not take it personally, and know that it’s a journey.
So to put it into a nutshell – your marketing is a courtship! One that requires patience, consistency and constant reaching out and adding value! As your business builds your community will grow and more and more people will be reaching out to work with you.
LOL, and you thought your dating days were over! 😉
