Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing ideas to help you grow your business

I hate marketing. Yes. Really!

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marketing blogs, marketing help

In a recent radio interview, I heard a comedian make an interesting statement. He was asked what his pet hates were. High on his list was marketing and people who worked in marketing.

The interview was part of a PR campaign, to promote [market] his latest stand-up comedy tour. He was genuinely, totally unaware of the irony.

I think I know what the comedian meant, though.

Some marketing really sucks

Hate is a strong word. However, there are parts of marketing that I hate. For instance, I hate the way junk food is deliberately marketed at kids. I hate the way tobacco companies market cigarettes, to encourage more people to smoke. And I think pretty-much everyone is sick and tired of all the spam and cold calls we receive, from people pushing junk at us.

In each of those cases, marketing is used to motivate people to make bad decisions. There are lots more examples too. And it sucks. It really sucks.

As a result, many business owners are conflicted about marketing. Their negative feelings about some of the marketing they experience, becomes a barrier to the promotion of their own business.

It would be easy to hate marketing, if that’s all marketing did. But it isn’t.

Marketing is so much more than that

Marketing is also used for good. And we see examples all day every day.

Marketing is used to encourage people to make better lifestyle choices, through public health campaigns. It’s used to motivate people to use their democratic right to vote. It’s used to promote the good works of charities. It’s used to educate children on how to stay safe online. It’s used to help small business owners build rewarding businesses. It’s used to encourage people not to drink and drive.

Here’s the thing: Marketing is neither good or bad. It’s what you market and how you choose to market it, which defines how people feel.

A powerful lesson from Starbucks and Apple

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marketing blogs, marketing help

Are you thinking of improving your business? Maybe you want to add a new service, increase your pricing or change the way you charge for your services. Perhaps you want to attract better quality clients. If you are, you may find this useful.

Focused and flexible

Those words almost sound like opposites. They’re not. In business, they work together beautifully.

  • It’s essential to know what you want to achieve and to stay focused on it.
  • However, you also need to remain flexible regarding how it happens. Then, as new information and opportunities come along, you can adjust your approach.

So, you remain both focused and flexible.

You couldn’t buy a cup of coffee from Starbucks

It’s true. Starbucks had already been in business for several years and opened its first 5 stores, before you could buy a cup of coffee from them. Until then, you could only buy their coffee beans. Flexible thinking allowed them to identify a new opportunity. Their focus remained the same, to build a successful coffee business, but their approach changed.

Apple’s surge to being the world’s most valuable company started with a pivot. Steve Jobs decided to enter the music industry, with the iPod and iTunes. Then, Apple pivoted again, creating the iPhone. If iPhone were a company by itself, it would be bigger than Coca-Cola and MacDonald’s combined.

There’s a valuable lesson here. If you’re not making measurable progress in reasonable time, get flexible.

Freak out. Stand out. Become a misfit!

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misfits, marketing blogs

Today’s post is one of the most important I have written in a long while. I hope you find it useful.

Think about it: Everyone who has achieved meaningful business success, is a misfit. The same is true of everyone who has led an extraordinary life. Every wonderful artist, teacher and leader. They’re all misfits.

Why am I telling you this?

The huge misfit advantage

Misfit business owners have extremely valuable advantages over everyone else. This makes it way easier for them to become successful.

  • They have impact.
  • They get noticed.
  • People find them interesting.
  • People remember them.
  • People follow them.
  • People talk about them.
  • Their message spreads.
  • They then attract even more attention.

People didn’t buy Andy Warhol’s art because they wanted art. They bought Warhol’s art because they wanted Warhol’s art. And people don’t buy JK Rowling’s latest book because they want a book. They by JK Rowling’s books because they want JK Rowling’s latest book.

If people just wanted “art” or “a book”, Warhol and Rowling would have to compete for attention, with millions of others. It’s only because people seek their uniqueness out, that there’s a huge audience for their work.

Here’s why this matters to you.

If you are a service provider and you rely on people finding you, who want to hire a service provider, you’ll always struggle. It’s only when people want to hire you, specifically YOU, that you win.

However…

Being a misfit feels risky

That’s to say, most people have been so conditioned to fit in, that they find it extremely hard to stand out. Schools teach kids to fit in. Teachers and fellow students make life hard for kids that are different. So, kids quickly learn to fit in.

By the time they’re adults, they do what they think is expected of them. They then find themselves lost in an ocean of competitors, who’re also doing what’s expected of them.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

You’re a misfit. If you want to be

There’s no question whether you can become a misfit or not. You’re already unique, with a unique set of life experiences and unique thoughts and feelings. However, the fraction of business owners who embrace their uniqueness is tiny. Far lower than 1%. Closer to 0.1%.

Of course, it’s the very fact that so few business owners are willing to be a misfit, that you have this amazing opportunity.

Make no mistake, the opportunity is there. The only question is, what are you prepared to do with it?

Here’s a proven way to quickly boost your profits

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marketing blogs, marketing help

If you want to generate high quality sales extremely quickly, I have a powerful, proven idea for you. It’s based on a strategy I use with my clients, which has produced amazing results.

It can work for you too. Here’s what you need to know.

It’s based on 3 Facts, plus 1 question

I want you to think about the following 3 facts, regarding your clients or customers:

  1. These good people trust you.
  2. They also have an existing trading relationship with you. In other words, they are used to working with you, receiving invoices from you and paying you. They also know you provide them with an excellent service.
  3. Because of those previous 2 points, making additional purchases from you is seen as low risk or no risk.

Now answer this question:

What additional, useful product or service could you offer to your existing clients or customers?

Here’s why this strategy is so effective

Selling to your existing clients has 2 huge advantages over selling to strangers:

  1. The process is very quick, because of the 3 facts I just mentioned. This makes it perfect, if you want or need to increase your sales, revenues and profits quickly.
  2. By offering more high value services to your clients, you become more valued as a provider. This makes them less likely to switch to an alternative provider. So, as well as making your clients more profitable, you also increase your chances of retaining their custom.

The bottom line here is this: If you’re looking for the fastest and least expensive way to generate far higher revenues and profits, this could be it.

If not, it’s pretty darn close.

Are you going to do your very best work today?

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marketing blogs, marketing help

If not, what story are you telling yourself, which is motivating you to do less than you’re capable of?

Tell yourself a more empowering story. Choose to give everything you do your very best shot. Then, do the same tomorrow. Soon it will become a habit.

Here’s the thing: The world deserves to see what you are truly capable of. Not some cranked-down version of your amazing self.

Could this mindset adjustment have an immediate, positive impact on your business [and your life]? Yes. It absolutely could.

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