I hope last week’s post stirred up some thoughts in your mind. If it did, reach out to me and let’s chat. I would love to process things with you. This week however, it’s time to get back to My Journey. In case you need to get caught up, here is the last post I wrote.
So Alex joined Quantify and we were ready to get to work. Only problem is, we have barely any clients! It was time to start marketing and getting our name out there. Problem is, I was an accounting major in college and had no idea what I was doing.
But before we go any further, here is a quick lesson that I have talked about before. You need a product or service that people want and you need to let people know it’s out there. You cannot focus all your time and resources on one or the other. If you have the greatest product in the world but no one knows about it, how do you think you will do? And vice versa. If you have a lousy product but everyone knows you exist, a similar result will follow. First make sure you are offering something people want and then get out your bullhorn to tell everyone you can (don’t actually get a bullhorn as that is not a good marketing strategy, I don’t think).
Back to the marketing. Since I was so inexperienced I took a two pronged approach to marketing. I was going to do my research by reading articles and books but I was also going to test a few things out and see what worked. I would highly recommend this strategy to anyone who is struggling with marketing. You need to learn new strategies and tools but you also need to start and build momentum. Learn new strategies and try them out. Try different things on your own and be willing to adjust. The options are endless; just don’t forget to keep moving forward, trying new things.
A huge danger that I saw myself falling into many times was focusing too heavily on the research portion. I got so tied up in reading books and learning new things that I wasn’t doing much else. Sure, it’s good to learn new things and expand your mind but you also have to put into practice what you are learning. Don’t get so caught up into what other people are telling you works that you end up doing nothing. This is dangerous and I will admit that I fell into this trap many times.
Keep an open mind, always have your product in the background of your thoughts, and learn as much as you’re able.
Next week I will touch on some specific strategies that worked for me and ones that didn’t. This doesn’t mean they will or won’t work for you but I think you will gain some insight from my experiences.
I want to leave you with one final thought. Do not be afraid to try things. It is so easy to let what other people MAY think of you effect what you will do. Notice that I capitalized the word “MAY”. A huge part of marketing and sales is how you react to failure. You are going to fail and you are going to fail, a lot. You are going to have people turn you down, ignore you, and some even say offensive things to you. But if you believe in the product or service you are offering, you need to press on. Don’t let other’s opinion effect what you are ultimately trying to do.
I hope you guys are enjoying the My Journey series. I know I am having a blast writing it. I’d like to continue to hear more about your journey. Let’s chat sometime!
