If you’ve followed me for any length of time you know that I talk a great deal about marketing.
Obviously I love marketing, well… good marketing anyway.
But, today I want to talk about something that I truly believe is not only the cornerstone of success, but the foundation of any successful marketing campaign. Want to know what it is? It’s very simple. It’s the ability to dream big and take action.
I was listening to a podcast recently with “Chicken Soup of the Soul” author Jack Canfield and in his interview he talked about the power of dreaming big.
As a matter of fact his direct quote was, “It doesn’t take any more time to dream BIG than it does to dream small” – end quote.
Jack’s words truly resonated with me ~ so much so that it inspired me to write the article you are now reading.
I pondered his words continually as I wrote and I want to share those thoughts (inspired by Jack) and how you can directly apply them to your marketing efforts.
1. Take 5 to 10 minutes everyday to visualize yourself experiencing success. This is self explanatory, but even if you think visualizing is woo-woo there is tremendous power in actually seeing yourself accomplishing something you truly want to experience.
If you have trouble visualizing, think about this way: visualizing is not hard when you realize that you already have hundreds (if not thousands) of random thoughts running through your mind all day, everyday anyway.
So if you’re going to think thousands of thoughts daily, why not carve out a small amount of time everyday to think the kind of thoughts that actually support you? Try it. Not only try it, but commit to it. It does work.
2. Be a joiner. I believe that the biggest problem facing most self employed people (especially Creatives) is isolation. No one knows better than me about the power of the computer and the internet.
“Get out of the house, put down the Blackberry, leave the laptop at home and take the time to actually connect with people face to face.”
Using myself as an example I love to sit at my laptop either at home or at a coffee shop writing, sometimes for hours. Second to writing my next favorite thing to do is image editing either for myself or for my clients. Sitting at your computer for hours tweeting is only one way to get the word out about your services and connecting with others.
At the end of the day nothing beats face to face contact.
Personally, I believe that as we continue embrace the digital mobile lifestyle our internal need to connect with real live people will continue to grow stronger. So, in nut shell: Get out of the house, put down the Blackberry, leave the laptop at home and take the time to actually connect with people face to face.
Don’t assume that the only places where you make business connections is via stuffy networking groups. On the contrary, the venues where you can connect with others needn’t be stuffy nor pretentious.
For example, you can meet people while waiting in line at a gourmet food truck (don’t laugh, they’ve become all the rage here in Los Angeles) or over drinks (just be mindful of your alcohol consumption) or at a class, seminar, workshop or gallery opening.
Freely share who you are and what you offer (just don’t turn your introduction into a long sales pitch) more important that you demonstrate genuine interest in the people you connect with.
Support others in accomplishing their goals and be sure to exchange contact info and finally (this is key) . . . follow up!
3. Pour your purse into your head. In other words, invest in yourself. Don’t resist buying that book, taking that course, calling that mentor or key contact that you met at a networking event.
Keep this in mind: an opportunity is only as powerful as your ability to take action on it when it presents itself.
Commit to investing a percentage of your income back into growing yourself personally and professionally. With that said, I want to point out something: when you invest in yourself personally you’re actually investing in yourself professionally and vice versa.
If you haven’t yet figured this out: You are your business.
So to recap keep these three tips in mind as you move forward:
1. See it – Take just 5 minutes everyday to see yourself achieving (as well as experiencing) your dream.
2. Join it – Make a commitment to get out of the house at least once a week to connect with real live people.
3. Invest it – No one can invest in your dream if you don’t.
Starting this month, ear mark a certain percentage of your current income back to growing yourself personally/professionally.
It could be a new book or a class, it could be a new shirt to wear to social gatherings or it could be a massage or new journal. The amount doesn’t matter as much as your commitment.
