Tag Archives for " business "

There is an affliction service providers and consultants are suffering from and it’s killing their businesses.
It’s called FOMO. The Fear Of Missing Out.
And it's becoming an epidemic...If one more person tells me that their target audience is “everyone” …I will scream!
I believe FOMO is one of the main reasons why most service providers struggle to find and communicate their point of difference.

They don’t want to ‘miss out’ on all those potential clients out there by being specific about the distinct type of person they help. They try to be “everything to everyone”.
As a service provider or consultant it can be difficult to narrow down your “inch wide, mile deep” niche, because you believe your service can help almost anyone.

Trouble is, going after everyone is virtually impossible, especially on a zero marketing budget, and it’s detrimental to your brand.
FOMO could be stopping you from becoming known for a specific service, with a specific clientele.
Why is it so important to become known as a specialist?

How do you answer that question when you meet potential prospects?

The average brain is hit with over 3000 messages promotional each day, that's 3 every waking minute! You are going to have to clearly and concisely present yourself and your business in order to cut through this competition for attention.

The saying goes "A confused mind never buys".

?

The term Personal Brand has become very popular.

It is tossed about in social media, discussed in HR departments, posted on LinkedIN and presented at marketing conventions all over the world.

• Exactly what is a personal Brand?
• Why have one?
• How do you get one?

Learn the basics about Personal Brand in a few seconds with this very helpful infographic:

?

I love the idea of exercising, it’s the actual doing of it that I find difficult.

Once I had a goal to lose about 10kg and decided that I would go for a bike ride every morning. I found a nice flat circular route of about 10kms and set my alarm to go for it first thing in the morning.

All my clothes, hat and shoes were ready by the bed so there was a seamless action as I jumped out of bed and got dressed, out the door and on the bike before my brain had really woken up and started telling me how crazy I was to be cycling while it was still dark.

?

When you have a personal brand, your marketing decisions become very simple and easy.

The latest news that !2 Years A Slave Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong'o is now the face of Lancome is a true example of this.

Lupita recently spoke at Essence, the Black Women in Hollywood organisation where she told the heart wrenching story of her own desire to "whiten" her skin, praying to God to do this for her as she slept because she believed it would make her more beautiful. Of course her Mother told her she already was beautiful, but the magazines, media and world around her didn't give her the same message. It wasn't until she saw a stunning (and very dark skinned) model in the media that she began to develop her self confidence and acceptance that she was indeed, a very beautiful person, both inside and out.

?

I have a fabulous mentor based mostly in the USA and we are often in different time zones when we talk. One week it was afternoon for me and later in the evening for him. We had a great session and at the end he said “Well, I’m being called for dinner so I’d better go”.

I hung up with a book full of notes in front of me, excited about what we had discussed and raring to go and an odd thought occurred to me.

One morning I had an urgent Skype call and I didn’t want to miss out on my exercise routine, so I decided to take a shortcut. This is what happened.

6 days out of 7, I go for a morning bike ride, about 10 kms, very flat, nothing serious. I have lycraphobia and ride an old dunga mountain bike. It’s more for keeping fit and healthy, certainly not peloton level. The bonus is, it’s great thinking time.

This one morning, I knew I didn’t have the 45 minutes I usually take, so I decided to try to find a shorter route. And I managed to navigate my way around in about 20 minutes, got home and got on that call.

Trouble was, now I knew there was a shortcut!

Trying to absorb all the marketing messages we see each day is a little bit like trying to drink for a fire hydrant!
There is just so much going on. So is it easier or more difficult to get your marketing right these days? Here's what I think:

Why it's more difficult:
1) The power has shifted to the consumer - traditional selling doesn't work anymore because the consumer has all the info, choice, leverage and options available to them.

Consumers see 3000 messages each day, that's about 4 a minute... How on earth is your message going to cut through that and get noticed?

When it comes to marketing, most businesses are going around in circles, with no direction. That's because brand often takes a backseat to marketing. Most entrepreneurs have an amazing product or service they are trying to promote and it doesn't get noticed, because they don't have a unique brand position.

The trouble with flying in circles, is that eventually the fuel tank will be empty, there will be no money left to keep going and you will crash and burn. Your incredible solution to someones problem will never take off.