Marketing is one of those topics that is poorly defined and rarely understood. That’s because it’s so broad. At the end of the day, if you’re in business, then you’re a marketer. Every business is taking something – a product, a service, a cause – to market.
Still, we have to somehow simplify and understand it.
Here are what I call the Three Questions of Marketing. Apply them to what you do and see if you like the answers.
Do they want it?
Do they know about it?
Do they talk about it?
Admit that you’re wrong. Even if you’re not.
If resolving the conflict truly is priority number one, then admit to screwing up, say you’re sorry and move on. This is what everyone else is waiting for someone to do, and yet no one has the balls to actually do it.
Sure, there are times you need to stick to your guns. But probably not as often as you think. Most of the time, just resolving the conflict would make everything better.
You big enough to do it?
One of the best things I’ve done this year is join a men’s bible study group that meets on Friday mornings. Now, bible studies are no stranger to me; if there was ever a church boy, it’s me. But in the past few years, I haven’t had a regular bible study where you really dig into the Word and connect with a group of guys. So that’s what I’m doing now.
This past week, as I was simply talking about God with some guys, I realized that the simple act of talking alone was transformational. Then it got me thinking about how writing, teaching and buying are very similar.
What I mean is that what we do can very much influence, even determine, what we think. And since none of us take to change easily, it’s important to realize we can use certain tools and approaches to make change easier. Here’s what I mean by that:
When working with clients, I always tell them that they need to be themselves when they are speaking. While we should look up to people and try to emulate some of what they do, trying to copy someone else will make you come off as insincere and your credibility will decrease. Just be yourself and you will do just fine.
This thought came to me twice during the Super Bowl ads – and they both happened to be featuring Eminem.
So there I was, reading all the year-end hoopla that typically goes something like this:
Have you ever seen an uglier pair of feet?
This past Sunday, I did something really cool. I walked in high heels down a busy MacArthur Blvd. in Irving, Texas, for all the world to see. It was an enlightening experience.
I was joined by about 50 other guys, too. Why did we do it? It was part of an event my church’s men’s group put together called “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.” The premise was to build awareness of the amazingly huge issue of sex trafficking in America, especially timely since the Super Bowl is in town. You can watch video and learn more about it here at Irving Bible Church’s website
I’m a guitar player and songwriter. Granted, I used to play and write a lot more than I do now (kids’ll do that to you, ya know?). There were spurts you could’ve even considered me a professional of some sort. Those were good times.
Like with any endeavor, self-doubt is an ever-present obstacle. As I played with bands and wrote songs, I had big dreams. But I never went long without wrestling with the idea that I just may not have what it took. Maybe my chops weren’t good enough. Maybe the songs I thought were great actually sucked. Maybe I just wouldn’t catch my break.
Self-doubt like this is inevitable.
One day, a revolutionary thought struck me. A thought that, in and of itself, had the power to conquer self-doubt in a single bound. A thought that empowered me with the spark to quit pitying myself and get back to work and dreaming.
Wanna know what it was?
