By Natalie J. Armstrong,
www.MarketingMediation.com

Procrastinate?!? Not me, not ever !
We all procrastinate. I do. I procrastinated about buying a pair of dress shoes that fit me better. I’ve continued to procrastinate for about 3 months now while continuing to wear the ill-fitting shoes. Right now I’m procrastinating about calling the podiatrist. My feet have been hurting lately. But I start to imagine all the machinations I’ll have to go through to get there, get examined, get treated, get billed and then go back. I’m hoping my feet will get better. They won’t. I’m hoping the shoes will stretch out. They won’t. But still I procrastinate.

I also procrastinate about picking up the cleaning, starting my tax returns, and cleaning my desk.

Do you procrastinate about anything? Of course. Do you procrastinate about marketing? If you are anything like the hundreds of clients I’ve worked with you put off some or all of the following:

• Getting focused - creating a strategy
• Writing marketing materials
• Writing articles
• Joining networking groups
• Asking for referrals
• Setting up speaking engagements
• Preparing a presentation
• Calling past clients
• Developing a sales approach
• Creating a database
• Sending thank-you notes

Sound familiar? Have you ever asked yourself why you put things off you know you should do? Of course you have. But if you ask yourself why, your subconscious will leap up in defense and create all kinds of rationalizations to answer that why. The validation usually goes like this. “I must be putting off my marketing because I’m just not a marketing type” or “These things won’t work anyway so why bother.” You just reinforce your old beliefs.

Instead, ask yourself empowering questions: “How can I find a way to do this” or “what could I gain by moving forward with this?” or “who knows how to do this better than I do who could give me some ideas where to start?”

All of these questions work to move you into action, which is a whole lot better than moping around feeling bad about not doing your marketing.

So let’s try to answer some of your new and empowering questions.

“How can I find a way to write some marketing materials?”

Start collecting the promotional pieces others send you. Read what the content says, pay attention to the layout of pieces. Keep everything whether it’s a piece that you like or not. Now make a list of the attributes that appeal to you and that you think will appeal to your target audience and a list of those attributes that don’t.

“I know that I should keep in touch with previous clients. What could I gain by moving forward with this?”

Calling past clients and sending thank-you notes is a powerful way to maintain your relationships. I know, I know, you’re thinking that it would take you too many weeks to phone everyone with whom you’ve previously worked. And you’re right but who says you have to do it all at once? Try phoning just 5 folks a day. We all have time to phone 5 people. The same with cards and letters. Send thank you notes to people with whom you’ve just worked and a personal letter to those with whom you’d like to work again. Just 5 a day. Just 5 a day means that 1250 people will hear from you this year that didn’t last year.

“How can I find the time to write an article?”

Writing articles can be a terrific marketing tool. When I suggest this to my non-writing clients they always tell me the same thing. I just stare at my computer and it just stares back. If you fit this category try talking your way through it. Find a topic that interests you. Then, while speaking into a recorder, talk to your associate, your spouse, or dog on the subject. Use the tape to create your article outline and viola! No more blank stare!

Natalie J. Armstrong is the Founder and Managing Director of Golden Media, a marketing and consulting firm dedicated to promoting resolution industry. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Marketing Your ADR Practice and speaks internationally on business developement and the successful marketing strategies of the conflict resolution industry. More ADR Practice Development articles and information about Ms. Armstrong and Golden Media can be found at www.MarketingMediation.com.

By Natalie J. Armstrong,
www.MarketingMediation.com

While shopping at my corner drug store over the weekend, I had an opportunity to witness a common marketing mistake. During the course of my browsing I could hear the store’s phone ringing persistently, rarely being answered. Shopping finished, I proceeded to the check out counter where once again the phone rang. The clerk let the phone ring six times before she cursed Dammit I’m busy! then grudgingly answered the phone. I can just imagine how she sounded to the caller.

This attitudinal error probably occurs a million times a day in every imaginable type of business, as the incoming call interrupts the important work. Don’t let this attitude overrun your business and marketing efforts.

Remember that if the phone rings at all, the marketing investments you’ve made are paying off. Be thankful that the phone rings and let THAT attitude pervade your tone and the content you provide to the potential client.

Natalie J. Armstrong is the Founder and Managing Director of Golden Media, a marketing and consulting firm dedicated to promoting resolution industry. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Marketing Your ADR Practice and speaks internationally on business developement and the successful marketing strategies of the conflict resolution industry. More ADR Practice Development articles and information about Ms. Armstrong and Golden Media can be found at www.MarketingMediation.com.

This glossary is a great addition to your marketing portfolios and will certainly help you tackle some interesting concepts. Available in PDF for you now. Don’t miss the outstanding Glossary of Words that Sell; also posted in a PDF for you.

 : MarketingMediation.com Glossary of Marketing Terms

Whatever you do, DO NOT miss out on the Visual Thesaurus. Whenever you sit down to write, be it an article, website copy, or something of the like, this is one of the single, most powerful tools you can possibly utilize. Take a look: Visual Thesaurus.

Here’s a powerful tool for you to add to your marketing playbook.

Created in PDF format for you to download and incorporate into your marketing materials. Special thanks to Natalie for bringing this one to the table.  You’ll need Adobe Acrobat to view the PDF. 

: MarketingMediation.com Glossary of Marketing Words that Sell

Whatever you do, DO NOT miss out on the Visual Thesaurus. Whenever you sit down to write, be it an article, website copy, or something of the like, this is one of the single, most powerful tools you can possibly utilize. Take a look: Visual Thesaurus.

 Good Luck!

I love this. Classic story of what you can do with an opportunity and a positive attitude. It reminds me of the folks at MoFo. Looking forward to seeing what some creative marketing people can do when handed the ball.

(Continued Reading)

The longer we analyze the current ways of operating, the further we fend off that awesome day when we will have to change something. Analysis becomes a defensive maneuver to avoid making fundamental change.”
–Michael Hammer and Steven Stanton

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
–Lord Chesterfield

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”
–Henry Ford

The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”
–Walter Bagehot

You have a zero percent scoring average on shots you don’t take.”
–Wayne Gretzky

How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.”
–Marcus Aurelius

When it comes to your marketing materials, your choice of words can make or break you. Sales copy is some of the hardest content to write, add the fact that you’re often writing about yourself and it’s twice as difficult.

The next time you sit down to rework your website content or draft a sales letter weigh in on our Sales Copy Videos or download a copy of our:

Glossary of Words That Sell.

Glossary of Marketing Terms

I have learned through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmitted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmitted into a power that can move the world.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Don’t fight the battle if you don’t gain anything by winning.”
– George S. Patton

Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different.”
– Albert Szent-Gyorgi

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in introducing a new order of things.”
– Niccolo Machiavelli

You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.”
– Charles C. Noble