It's not always that hard to help someone create a marketing strategy and an action plan. There are foundational marketing principles that underlie everything: they're based on psychological aspects of human behavior and that doesn't change too much. Once you know those principles it’s just a matter of applying them to YOUR marketing.

Sounds easy, doesn't it?

But the problem shows up when it comes to implementing the strategy and plan. That’s where I’ve seen a lot of my clients get stuck: because something in their heads is telling them a story about what they can and can't do, and why or why not. It can be a story about themselves, about their value, about their expertise, about their potential clients, about what they believe about marketing and how it works - and lots more.

It can stop them in their tracks or at the every least, make running the business a constant struggle.

As Zig Ziglar said: “It’s your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude."

That’s why I decided to launch my Facebook Group: Maggie Dennison The Magic of Mindset and Marketing. To have a place to come together, look at both our marketing and mindset and help each other rise up together.

I just launched it a couple of weeks ago, and there's already some great input from savvy business people.

If you haven't yet joined us, pop on over here and check it out: Maggie Dennison The Magic of Mindset and Marketing. When you join, you can ask for a very short but succinct ebook: "26 Thought-Provoking Questions About Mindset".

I look forward to seeing you there!

All good wishes.

Maggie

On my last birthday I got a message from someone on Facebook offering me a birthday gift.

"Oh that's very nice of her," I thought.

I clicked the link to pick it up and guess what? I had to sign up for her email list to get it.

It made me think of how so-called "gifts" are used to seduce you into doing something you might not otherwise do.

A gift by definition comes with no strings attached. A gift is given willingly without payment of any kind, whether in dollars or email addresses. If you're asking for something in return, it's not a gift. Find another name for what you're offering.

This is a widely used marketing tactic that conveys the impression that you're getting something for nothing when you're not.

The other variation of this is a gift that comes with a price tag. Here's what I saw recently: "I want to give you a gift of a two month membership in my coaching group." What she didn't say up front was that to get your gift, you had to give your credit card number. And if you didn't cancel by a certain date, your "gift" morphed into a fully paid monthly subscription.

This tactic must work because so many people are using it. That's fine. Just let me know up front what the deal is, not at the end of the process. That ticks me off so I feel that I've been deceived in some way and that person's credibility takes a dramatic tumble in my eyes.

Me, I like transparency.

What are your thoughts on this?

t’s easy to sit around and feel sorry for yourself because things aren’t going exactly as you’d hoped. I’ve certainly done a lot of that in my time.

Or, I’ve done things out of a strong reaction to something or someone. That doesn’t feel good to me either because it seems as if I’m being driven by something outside of me and things are out of my control.

But when I’m willing to take responsibility for myself, figure out what I can do and then do it, I feel better about myself and that helps life flows much more smoothly. Now it’s an inner impetus that’s helping move me forward.

I believe the universe matches the energy that I’m putting out. So if I’m putting out “poor me” energy, chances are I’ll get more of those circumstances, at least temporarily.

But if I’m putting out the energy of “I can do this and I’m willing to do this”, I can expect the kind of support that will help me.

At least that’s my belief system.

Are you driven from the outside or from the inside? 

What beliefs, attitudes or places of inaction might be standing in YOUR way?

Contact me if you'd like to have a chat about this.

A few days ago I was looking through books at a local Little Free Library and I came across one called "Perfectly Willing".

I was intrigued by the title so I brought it home.

In it a Buddhist monk talks about how being willing can help us through many tough places. He claims that all hardships and obstacles mean nothing when you're willing. According to him, all restrictions in life will fall away and you can have everything you wish for.

Those are huge promises and I'd like to think they're true.

He inspired me to look at my own willingness in different areas of my life and I quickly discovered where there are a lot of holes. I realized those are the places I can dig into so that I can grow.

But - it's up to me to do the digging!

And I know how hard it can be to do that on your own.

What are YOU willing to do to build or grow your business? What beliefs or attitudes might be standing in YOUR way?

Contact me if you'd like to talk about this.

One of the main keys to creating a message that resonates with your clients is the ability to connect with them.

Here are a couple of questions you can ask yourself:

• What do they want?

• Why do they want it badly?

• What's holding them back from buying?

These are three of the questions I ask when I take my clients through my Ideal Client Profile. There are a lot more, but these three will give you a foundation to start from.

Try it and see!

Let me know how it works for you. And if you'd like to do the full ideal client profile, so that your messages is REALLY customized, get in touch with me and we can chat about that.

I was at the health food store recently looking at some freshly baked cookies. I wanted one. Badly. No way was I going to leave the store without one of these beauties. But then I stopped and asked myself: “Do I want this?” or “Do I need it?” And of course I didn’t NEED it. I WANTED it - with all my taste buds.

Wants are optional. Needs are not. A want makes life more enjoyable such as a trip to Disneyland, the latest SUV or a meal at a nice restaurant.

A need is very important or even critical to survive and thrive, like food or a place to live or gas for the car or equipment for a business. Needs also include emotional needs such as security, relief or joy. 

Talking about both needs and wants is essential in your marketing.

When you define what WANT is most likely to trigger a response in your ideal clients, it’s easier to come up with a message that taps into that place where they make the decision to start a conversation with you.

Once again, it comes back to knowing your ideal clients intimately.

Drop me an email if you'd like to talk more about this.

Whose words do you use in your marketing materials? It may not be as obvious as it sounds.

The deeper question here is: Do your ideal clients relate to the words you’re using? Is that the way they would talk? Because if the answer is no, you can lose their attention really quickly.

Knowing their language is one way of connecting with them. And to know their language, you must know them.

That’s why one of the questions on my Ideal Client Worksheet is “How would the client talk about their problem?”

You can get this information by listening carefully to them and then use their language when you speak or write. It makes it much easier to connect with them because the language will be familiar and they'll feel that you relate to them.

It’s an easy way to get them excited about what you and they won’t even know why it's happening!

For a conversation about your ideal client profile and its power to help you connect, go here to contact me.

How do you stand out from others? What is it about you that people are drawn to when they're considering using your services?

It’s not that you post tons of messages on social media. It’s not how often you send out your newsletter. And it’s not having the most impressive website.

Of course, you have to provide value and be able to do what you say you do. That's a given.

But underneath it all, It’s about you, your personality, and how you present yourself. Even if you’re offering the same services as someone else, it’s you that people are drawn to. People relate to people.

In my experience, when you allow your quirks to be seen, people appreciate the transparency. That includes parts of you that you might not like so much.

Some may criticize you for revealing yourself. Consider whether you want those people in your life or business. Maybe it's best to walk away and find the ones who do appreciate you with all your idiosyncrasies.

Think about how you can inject more of your personality into your promotions so you become a real person to your readers, not just another one who's lost in a sea of similarity.

If you have a different take on this, I’d love to hear from you.

And if you don't know what makes you stand out, let's talk. You can hit "reply" or go here to get in touch with me.

If you’re trying too hard to sound “professional” in writing your marketing message, it can backfire.

Why?

It’s likely that your idea of professional writing is linked to the kind of academic, literary, "good" writing that we all learned in school. What we often don't think of is that a highly professional tone can come across as formal, cold or distant. It may be more suitable when you want to convey information or to educate, although even then it can be too formal. And it’s more likely to distance people from you and your business than to connect with them and engage them.

But in marketing you want people to relate to you.

Don’t hide who you are behind formality.

Let your audience get a sense of YOU so they want to get to know you better. At the end of your piece, you want them to say “I like this person. She has what I want” rather than “What a piece of beautiful writing”!

And of course, you have to be professional in how you show up, how you speak and present yourself and the image you’re projecting. At the same time, your message can be presented in a casual conversational style that connects with your audience.

Connect AND be professional.

If you have a different take on this, I’ll be glad to hear from you.

You can hit "reply" or get in touch with me here.

In a radio interview on NPR, the founder of 1-800-GetJunk says he was never motivated by money. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, was motivated by imagination. They both made a ton of money along the way, but that was secondary to why they did what they did.

Yet many gurus try to persuade us to buy their products or services by promising that they'll help you double or triple your income or earn $50,000 in 60 days.

If you think it's all about the money, I encourage you to look deeper and see if that's really true for you.

What motivates you? Consider things that go beyond money.

You may want to take your journal and do a brain dump with answers to questions like: Why do you want the money (beyond taking care of your basic needs)? What are the deeper elements of your life and business that drive your decisions? What's your bigger purpose in life that money can serve?

The information you uncover may give you some useful insights. Then you can bring those more fully into what you do and how you do it. Your words will gain more depth. You'll create a more solid connection with your readers because you're letting them see who you really are.

Try it and see!

Let me know how it works for you. And if you'd like help to figure this out, so your readers feel that you're transparent, get in touch with me and we can chat about that.