Getting the World to Beat a Path to Your Door

According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, all you have to do is "build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door."  Makes sense doesn't it?  After all, if I have something that's bigger and better than everyone else's, why wouldn't the world want it?  Unfortunately, thousands of entrepreneurs have learned the sad fact that this is not necessarily true. 


So was Mr. Emerson mistaken?  Not entirely.  Yes, it's important to have the best or be the best of whatever you are trying to sell.  But you also have to let the world know you have such a thing.  You can't sit back and wait for them to find you.  You have to reach out to them.


According to the Oxford Dictionary, marketing is defined as follows:
Marketing:  the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.


That tells you what it is.  But it doesn't tell you why it's important.


Researchers claim that the average person is subjected to over 5000 messages a day.  5000 messages competing with each other, with family, with work.  How are you going to stand out in that crowd?


First, you have to know what your customers are looking for.  What if they don't really want a better mousetrap?  What if they really want a better widget?  You are already out of the running for their attention because you are not offering what they want.


Next you have to know where they are looking.  Do they watch television?  Read newspapers?  Are they searching Google?  Hanging out on social media?  All of these are places where you can put your message in front of prospective customers.  Anywhere your target market hangs out is a place for you to put your marketing message.  Take your message to them.  Or as my granddad always used to say, "Fish where the fish are."


Once you have determined that you do have a product that is wanted, and you know where and how to reach your prospective customers, you will need some additional information to complete your marketing campaign.  Of course, to gain this information, you are going to have to do some market research.  You will be asking looking for answers to questions such as:


Who, if anyone, wants my mousetrap?  (Is there a market for your product or service?)
What need does it serve or what problem does it solve?
What else do they buy do meet that need or solve that problem? (Who are my competitors?)
What price do they pay? (Price point?)
When do they buy? (Marketing timing - when will marketing take place?)
Where do they buy? (Where should I market?)
Why do they buy? (Potential influencers?)


Is all of this research really necessary?  Yes!  No matter how eager you are to start marketing, know that one of the most common mistakes made by new entrepreneurs is being impatient.  Taking time to identify your market and clarify their needs is not wasting time.  It is one of the keys to success.

October is Self Promotion Month!

Self Promotion Month was founded by author and speaker, Debbie Allen, who discovered that most people do not feel comfortable actively promoting themselves.

Now we all know that I have absolutely no problem with a little shameless self-promotion.  You can't be in marketing and sales and be afraid to talk about yourself.  How will people know what I have to offer if I don't tell them?

And so, if you want to know about me and what I do, hang around on this blog or my website for a bit and you will soon figure it out.  Because I want people to know how I can help them.  I want you to know about the products and services I provide.  I am absolutely PASSIONATE about what I do and I want to help as many people as possible be successful also!

But I know that not everyone is comfortable singing their own praises, so, in honor of Debbie and her wonderful idea for a special month - and because I am always up for a little fun! - I am going to make it easy for you.

Right now, for the next 31 days here is your rooftop!  Shout out about yourself and your business.  Post in the comments who you are, what you do, and why you are the best!  Be helpful, not pushy.  Don't promote just to make a sale.
 

If you need some encouragement before tooting your own horn, check out Debbie's book, Confessions of Shameless Self-Promoters.  Then come back and leave your comment.
 

Come celebrate self-promotion month by engaging in a little shameless self-promotion! 

Tap Into Your Imagination to Release Your Creative Spirit

Many people think that they don't have a creative bone in their body but that just isn't true. Remember when you were a kid and you could creatively make up games, build secret forts and more? Or how about that imaginary friend you talked to? Those things all prove that you once were creative and can be again. Learning to use your imagination again is a great way to work on developing your creativity.

Like a muscle, your imagination can become weak from disuse. By making time to exercise your imagination with a few fun mind games, you’ll soon find it’s strong enough to bring out your inner creative self. Here’s how.

Grab the nearest book or magazine you have close by - open it up to a random page and then choose one sentence. Now, let your imagination run wild and create a story based around that sentence. This is not only a great way to tap into your imagination, but it's also a quick way to get your creative juices flowing. If you ever find you're hitting that dreaded writers block, this is a quick trick to use to help get past it.

Pick a superpower - yes, you read that correctly. It may sound a bit silly but don't skip over it. It's fun, lets you bring your inner child out and it's a great way to practice your imagination skills and in turn, bring the creativity out.

After you choose your superpower, don't stop there. Now it's time to let the creativity show. Ask yourself these questions:

• How would I use this power?
• When would I use this power?
• How would my life change with this power?
• What trouble would I get in?
• What problems would be solved?

I bet you'll be surprised at where your imagination takes you. Grab a pen and piece of paper and write as you do this exercise. Who knows what it could turn into - a blog post, an eBook, a YouTube video…the possibilities are endless.

Venture outside and take a walk - this one is simple and easy but incredibly powerful. As you walk, not only are you getting some fresh air and exercise, but you're also allowing your mind to run free. Use your senses to get your imagination going. Example: smell - are you near pine trees? Breathe deep and smell the pine then start imagining being in an enchanted forest or medieval kingdom. The key here is to use as many of your five senses as you can and let your imagination go from there.

This is just a small list of ways you can tap into your imagination to help develop your creativity. By no means is this an exhaustive list of ideas, it's just meant as a starting point for you. Once you’ve practiced these ideas, you’ll find more will come to you. The key is to not censor your thoughts, but to just allow your imagination to run wild, just like when you were a kid.

How to Train Yourself to Be Creative: Spend Time Alone

If you talk to individuals who are highly creative, one of the common themes you'll find among them is that they enjoy being by themselves. It allows them to have quiet time, which can sometimes be really essential to honing in on your creativity.

While alone time is a good thing and does help get your creative juices flowing, by no means does it mean you have to be anti-social.

Let's take a look at some benefits of spending time alone and how that can help boost your creativity in the process.

Benefit #1 - Increased Concentration

When you're alone and not distracted, it's easier to concentrate, which in turn can also help with your productivity. But there is one thing worth mentioning here and it has to do with distractions. Being alone with the TV on or while sitting in front of your computer is not the same thing as truly spending time with just yourself. Instead, find a place you can devote specifically to quiet alone time where you are free from distractions. Then set aside a specific time each time to go to that quiet space and let your creativity flow.

Benefit #2 - Clear Your Mind

When you spend time alone, free from distractions, you'll find that it's a quick and easy way to clear your mind. Not only does it free you from all the chaotic thoughts that race around in your head continually, it's also an opportunity to unwind and relax. Creativity thrives when your body is relaxed and you're mind is free of mental clutter. Again, just like mentioned in the benefit above, make time each day to clear your mind so you can tap into your creative self.

Benefit #3 - Problem Solving

Another benefit of spending time alone - and again we're talking about quiet, distraction-free alone time - is that it gives you the space to problem solve.  This is essential for increased creativity. When you begin to train yourself to spend quiet time alone and tap into your creative side, you'll be able to start thinking about different solutions to solve a problem(s) you're having. You can then begin to solve problems more effectively. 

Does all this sound just a bit like meditation? Perhaps. But here’s the key: When you make time to be alone – even if it’s just 20 minutes every day – your brain then becomes free to do what it does best – think. When you’re constantly bombarded by input from your smart phone, the television, a conversation with your spouse or coworker, the podcast you’re listening to and more, there simply isn’t room in your head for anything else.

So allow your brain the luxury of quiet time. You might just be surprised at how creative you can be, when you’re not so busy with other things.

 

Yes, You Can Schedule Creative Time

Somewhere along the path to adulthood, many of us lost our creativity – or we think we did. With a little planning and a regular schedule though, you can get it back, as counterintuitive as that might seem when talking about being creative!

And don’t think you simply don’t have it in you to be creative. All you have to do is look at kids or think back to when you were a child yourself to see the proof of your own creativity. Did you ever have an imaginary friend? Make up your own game with your own set of rules? Design a Mother’s Day card or a Christmas ornament? That was you being creative and that's just a few examples. The list goes on and on.

So why is it so hard as adults to be creative when as a young child it came so easily?

One of the reasons creativity is harder for adults is because we have so much on our minds and spend our mental energy focusing on that needs to be done, or this problem and that. We don't have any 'clear space' to let the creativity flow.

That’s where having a schedule can help

It may sound like a strange solution but once you get in the habit (and remember it takes approximately 21 days for a habit to form) of a schedule and doing things (including creativity time) regularly, you're brain will begin to kick into creative mode just when you expect.

Let's say for example that you've created a schedule and blocked off 30 minutes a day from 6:30-7:00am to let your creative juices flow - whether it be painting, drawing, writing, or another outlet. On the first day you wake up excited and ready to go but find that you couldn't clear your mind and wasted those 30 minutes thinking about the laundry that needs to be done, dirty dishes, work problems, etc. And then the same thing happened the next several days. You begin to feel discouraged but you made a commitment to at least stick to it for 21 days. And then suddenly you find that one morning you get lost in creativity and your 30 minutes fly by.  The next morning, and the next and the next (you get the picture) you find that as soon as you sit down at the spot you’ve designated, creative thoughts just start pouring out onto your paper.

It's because you have trained your brain that every single day at this time you're letting everything else go to clear the mental space for nothing but creative works. Your brain has gotten used to working this way every day and now it expects it – maybe even craves it.

This is exactly how the world’s most prolific authors, painters, and others manage to accomplish so much, and you can too. Simply block off time in your calendar for creativity, and before you know it, you’ll be able to turn those creative thoughts on and off at will.

The New Gurus - My Top 10 List Revised and Updated!

Back in 2009, I posted a list of the people I considered to be the top 10 internet "gurus".  The internet is loaded with self-proclaimed experts, all waiting to take your money and deliver little of value.  I wanted to share the people I knew and trusted.  These were the people I had studied; the ones whose lead I followed while taking my beginning steps as an entrepreneur.  Well, here it is six years later and I have had much success.  But I am also still learning!  There is always something more to learn and you still want to go to the masters to learn it.  So once again I'm sharing with you my list of the top 10 internet gurus.  Some of them you may recognize from my previous list but they still have much of value to offer.  Others are brand new.  All are the best in their areas of expertise and come with my whole hearted recommendation! 

1. Ken McArthur - Ken is an author, marketing expert, legendary creator of Impact, and the resident expert in forming partnerships and collaborations.  Thanks to Ken, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with amazing people.  And I learned a very important lesson - no matter how prepared you think you are, you can still mess up!  Bad!  Epically, in fact!   

2. Felicia Slattery - I met Felicia many years ago on Ryze and came to admire and respect her long before I had the opportunity to meet her in person. Felicia taught me the value of being able to communicate effectively in any format.  Since our initial meeting, I have had the opportunity to participate in her coaching programs which have truly helped to perfect my skills as a speaker.  Too bad I didn't do that a bit earlier!  (See above!) 

3. ProBlogger (Darren Rowse) - I discovered ProBlogger through a teleseminar that mentioned a man (ProBlogger) that was bringing in a six-figure income simply from blogging. I immediately went to his site and through his teaching, entered the world of blogging for myself. From a blog with 1 or 2 hits on a good day, I now have multiple blogs with hundreds of hits. 

4. Ken Evoy - Creator of Site Build It! for web building and hosting. In addition to discovering an absolutely fabulous tool to help create and host websites, Ken taught me the importance of a content-rich site for business.

5.  Andy Shepherd - Would you believe I used to be terribly shy and self-conscious?  It's true!  I am a bit - irreverent - at times, and was afraid that others wouldn't take me seriously. So I avoided speaking or even photos that allowed any sign of that side of me to show through.  Well, thanks to Andy, that is no longer the case.  If you have something that is keeping you from the success you seek, let Andy help you break through the barrier. 

6.  Carrie Wilkerson - I only met Carrie Wilkerson once at a jvAlert event. But she made a powerful impression on me with her reminder to focus and that nothing gets accomplished without massive action TO COMPLETION!  It is a message that still resonates today.  And one I teach everyone of my clients and team members.

7.  Larry Hochman - I have learned so much from Larry, I can't even begin to list it all here.  From providing business advice and guidance to giving me a gentle nudge (or swift kick) when needed, Larry has helped me excel both professionally and personally.  (And he captured the hearts of about 25 little Girl Scouts by helping them set up their first ever websites for cookie sales.  Thanks, Larry!  They sold THOUSANDS of boxes of cookies, which enabled them to reach their goal for a donation to YouthBridge, which helps troubled kids locally).   

8.  Brian G. Johnson - Author, speaker, and poodle wrangler.  His book, Trust Funnel, has been on the corner of my desk since the day I bought it.  I like to keep it within reach for easy reference.  Oh, and he taught me one of the most valuable lessons of all.  Be yourself, even if that self is a little bit crazy!

9.  Debra Jason  - Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget.  Need I say more?  Buy it.  Read it.  Put it into action.  Make money.  Oh, and she's not bad at copywriting either! 

10.  Brian Basilico - Brian has taught me more about the use of social media in my business than anyone.  He is the expert on social media and marketing and when he speaks, I listen and then do exactly as he says. 

There you have it - my newly updated top 10 list of internet business experts. Did I leave someone off that you think should be here? Post a comment with their name, website and why you recommend them and I will definitely check them out.

Refill Your Creative Well by Getting Out and Seeing Inspiring Things

Let's face it, even the most creative people (for example songwriters/musicians) go through a dry spell once in a while where their creative well has dried up and needs replenishing.  One of the quickest ways to fill that well back up is to get out and visit other places where you're surrounded by inspiration and beauty.

Take in a live show. Whether music or theater, these two options have creativity written all over them. During a live music concert or play, it's all about the audience and the energy they create for the performers. You never know what can happen during a live performance. Be inspired and let your creativity build off the creativity of what you just saw and heard. Sometimes all it takes to get the creative juices flowing is to enjoy another art form, so make a date with your creative self to see that new musical that’s in town. You might be surprised how inspiring it can be.

Visit a museum or art gallery. Not everyone is interested in spending time in a museum or art gallery, of course. But even if you think you’re someone who just doesn’t enjoy that kind of scene, you might want to “force” yourself to do it at least once. You may be surprised and find that you actually enjoyed it. But more than that, you can't get much more creative than sculptures and paintings. Look at the pieces and let your creativity take over - think about what the piece means, why it was created the way it was.

Hang out in a cemetery. Admittedly, this may seem like an odd place to visit to get your creativity flowing but it's actually a great place to work those creative thinking muscles. Grab a pen and notebook and head to a nearby cemetery. Don’t think of it as a sad place where someone's loved one has been laid to rest. Instead, look at those graves and start celebrating their lives. Pull out that pen and paper and start creatively writing their life stories. Where were they born, who did they marry, what did they do for a living, how many kids did they have, did they have any pets? Get as creative as you want. The idea here is to let the creativity flow and have fun with it.

Get back to nature. Many people find that simply taking a stroll in a park or along a wooded trail is just what they need to refill the well. Simply getting out in the fresh air and away from the computer and television and smart phone can cause you to relax and replenish your soul.

If you’re feeling a little less creative, or struggling to solve a problem, it might just be because your creative well has run dry. Get out in the world and away from your day-to-day tasks for a bit, and you’ll soon find that those creative juices are flowing again.