Growing Your Business

Archive for the ‘Marketing Methods’ Category

What happens when you run smack into a wall?

Don’t pretend you never did.

You bounce back a little and slump down the wall and look surprised or feel dreadful.  You hope no once saw you being so out of touch with the real world.  Then you have to get up and find a way around or over or under that wall to reach your destination.

We all hit walls now and then. They remind us of the tangible nature of our physical world. They remind us of the laws of physics. We become aware again that gravity works. We are connected to planet Earth.

If nothing else is true or stable in our working world the basic functions of the planet are ever changing constants. Yes. That is right. They are constant elements that are ever changing. Things like earth and water. Solid and liquid. Things like air and energy (fire).

Recognizing these elemental parts of our world and learning to work in harmony with them will go a long way towards improving our success in the marketing world. Yes. I made the connection.  I put ecological components in the same sentence as marketing. You may be surprised how much they have in common.

Relationship marketing is a matter of learning to work with people and resources to accomplish your goals. That is much the same as network marketing. Once you see that all things are connected you begin to see the areas where you have gaps in your knowledge or skills. Then you can begin the journey to learn something new.

Take water for one example. Water in its liquid form always follows the path of least resistance and flows in the direction of gravity’s pull.  When this clear gentle liquid is flowing at a high speed over rocks of various sizes it splashes as it bumps into and flows over, under around or through openings in the rocks.

You know the concept of  “go with the flow”. Learn from the water. You cannot push a river. Allow yourself to accept that there will be obstacles and learning curves that feel like walls or rocks in your path and embrace them gently as water flowing in a stream.

Now I am not talking about white water rapids here. That calls for a different mindset of alertness in both the rivers and in your business. And can easily be the topic for another post. Take the first steps of awareness of how you can create a less stressful atmosphere at your workplace or business simply by remembering how water responds to changes in its path.

The world of marketing is full of water images, like income streams, cash flow, steady drip of new recruits, the trickle down effect. Use these images to keep yourself on track and in balance so when you cross those streams you are less likely to stumble and fall in.

You may also require the help of some surprising characters along the way. Be alert for them.  When you reach a decision time, such as crossing a major stream, assess your resources, take necessary precautions and then it is time for your leap of faith.

A helpful way to work around the unknowns in your business is to rely on others for assistance.  I ran across a very helpful guide for people who want to avoid falling into cold flowing waters in your business.  A fellow by the name of Stu Stirling has assembled an excellent Newbie StartUp Guide with no fluff and no hype. It is designed to get newbies up and running swiftly and with relative ease.

I read through it this afternoon and highly recommend it especially if you are just starting out. Or if you encountered interruptions in your cash flow because you had something missing but did not know what it was or how to fix it.

The real world of water and rocks and the real world of business actually do have a lot in common. But even more so is the way we each respond to new situations. When we hit those rocks or slam that wall, it is time to adjust our course and move forward again.

The Essentials of  Pay Attention and Focus continue to be true.