What’s the point of creating a business vision for your small business? In times like these, more and more people are stuck and searching for a reason to push through overwhelm to get business results.
I had a dream a few months ago in which I purchased tickets to a concert at a box office window. I paid in cash, and the teller gave me back several paper bills and coins – more than she should have, in fact. I looked down to see …
“Too much change.”
It’s the kind of dream that leaves no mystery when you wake up. You just get it.
And now, I’m hearing it from all directions: my clients, colleagues, friends and even the news. It’s not bad change by any means. Many are elated with the election results, even as they’re stressed out by the economic situation.
But, as I wrote in my ezine last week, too much change can cause people to shut down. Why? One reason was suggested by spiritual advisor Jim Curtan who said, “All change brings loss, and all loss brings a period of grieving.” It may be also that the current, known conditions are more comfortable to us than some hypothetical, unknown future.
It’s not an easy climate for reluctant marketers, and I’ve been talking to them about how to find the motivation to get out there anyway. This is what I told a client last week:
People are feeling a lot of pressure about marketing what they do right now, and I feel like saying to them “Listen. Just go tell your story.”
Somebody is going to attract you into their life. They’re going to say, “I need somebody to say this thing to me today. I need to feel hope that help for my big problem is out there.”
And you’re going to come in and speak at their organization or meet them in a networking setting, and they’re going to say “Holy cow, that guy’s the answer to our prayers. I can’t believe he showed up today.” So, all you have to do is show up and tell your truth, and tell your story with empathy.
I think the problem with marketing is that we say, “Ugh, this is so icky: I have to go market myself, I have to go selling.” And really, that’s not what enlightened marketing is about. You need put yourself in places people with that problem are going to be, and they’ll find you. There’s no pushing or selling about that. You have a fabulous solution that people really can benefit from. You can help them, and I just want you to think about that. Get in touch with your bigger vision for your business. So anytime you’re getting ready to do marketing and you feel “Ick, this is heinous,” I want you to remember the WHY behind it.
Why are you doing any of this? What’s the purpose of your marketing? If it’s truly to help people, then your story is, “I know what your problems are; I can help you with them. This is the way I can do that.” And, if you’re called to that work strongly enough that you left a day job, started up a business and dedicated your life to it, you owe it to yourself to push through the change, the stuckness, the “ick” … and help those who are searching – maybe even praying – for you.
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