The Online Marketing Newsletter
for Independent Professionals
from Action
Plan Marketing
and Robert Middleton
-
Your Marketing Vision for 2006 -
What
do you really want in your business this coming
year?
No, I mean what do you *really* want?
In
our businesses we get what we envision.
If
we can imagine it, feel it and see it, then the
actions required to make it real become apparent.
(Not that it doesn't take some work.) The question
isn't: "What are you going to do this year?" The
question is: "What do you really want in your
business this year?"
When
the New Year rolls around we think of resolutions.
But the way we structure resolutions make them
next to useless. They are either about things we
want to stop doing (smoking, eating) or start doing
(exercising, marketing).
With
the focus on not doing or doing, there isn't
enough emotional impact to propel us forward.
There's no vision in a to-do list.
So
you say, "This year I want to do more marketing;
I'd like to get my web site up, start an eZine,
network more, and do some teleclasses."
Hopeless.
Either
it ain't going to happen, or it's going to be a
real struggle. Deep inside you know that, but
heck it's the New Year. Might as well be
optimistic, right?
No,
create a vision instead.
Instead
of focusing on what you'll do, focus on how you
want to *feel*. How do you want to feel about
marketing this coming year? And wouldn't it be
smart to focus on some positive, uplifting feelings
(instead of those feelings of dread that come up
when you list the things to do)?
So
you might state it a little more like this:
"This year I want to be excited when I do my
marketing. I want to have fun and feel that I'm
making a difference. I want any marketing I do to
be inspiring, challenging and
energizing!"
OK,
now go ahead and do that. Say it out loud or
write it down. I'll wait...
Alright,
not bad. A good start. Next, you want to focus
on what you want to *have* in your marketing. What
do you want things to actually look like? So you
might say:
"I
want to have an attractive, persuasive web site
that excites people and gets them to take action
when they visit it."
"I
want to have an eZine that has subscribers from
all over the country (or the world). I want it
to highlight my expertise, build my credibility
and get people visiting my web site and learning
more about my valuable services."
"I
want to offer inspiring and practical
teleclasses that orient people to my business
and make them feel comfortable working with
me."
OK,
write a list of the main things you'd like to have
in your marketing this year. And make sure
every single thing on that list is what you really
want, not something you think you have to
do.
Do
you see how completely different this is from
saying what you are going to do? It's all the
difference in the world. Start with feelings, then
focus on what you want to have. And only then do
you put your attention on the things you need to
do.
Got
your list? Great! You've set the groundwork for
actually creating what you want in your business
this year.
So
many people struggle with marketing and attracting
new clients because they look at marketing as a
"necessary evil" that has to be done (but never
enjoyed). When you create a compelling marketing
vision, marketing becomes exciting, fun and
effective.
This
very simple approach to creating what you want
might be called "living from your vision." A
whole lot more inspiring than "living from your
to-do list," don't you think?
*
The
More Clients Bottom Line:
Don't
set resolutions for 2006; instead, create the
vision for your year by becoming clear about how
you want to feel and what you want to have before
you decide what you need to do.
*
Three
Resources to help you realize your vision this
year
Action
Plan ToolKit
In
the past two months almost 900 people have gotten
my Action Plan ToolKit. (Thank you very much!)
And this ToolKit is really a detailed expansion on
this very simple but powerful idea that you will
attract that which which you can feel, see, touch
and taste.
For
those who have the ToolKit but haven't done all the
exercises and used the resources yet, this is a
great time to jump back in. If you don't have it
yet, you can order it at:
http://www.actionplan.com/aptk.html
And
Two Free Resources:
I
invite you to visit my new More Clients
Blog!
The
More Clients Blog is an opportunity to build on the
ideas presented in this eZine every week. And
this week, I want to know what you plan to create
for your business in 2006. Just go here:
http://www.actionplan.blogs.com
The
Monthly Free TeleClass - "Your Business Vision for
2006"
In
this month's introductory TeleClass we'll explore
advanced strategies for producing the results you
want in your business this year. And we'll give
you foundational practices for setting goals and
getting your marketing activities implemented that
will serve you for the rest of the year.
Reserve
your space here:
http://www.actionplan.com/mtg.html
Until
next week, all the best,
Robert
Middleton
ACTION
PLAN MARKETING
Helping Independent Professionals Attract More
Clients
www.actionplan.com
210
Riverside Drive
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-7790
Contact
by email
©
2006 Robert Middleton, All rights reserved. You
are free to use material from the More Clients
eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include
complete attribution, including live web site link.
Please also notify me where the material will
appear. The attribution should read:
"By
Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please
visit Robert's web site at http://www.actionplan.com
for additional marketing articles and resources on
marketing for professional service
businesses."
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