by Robert Middleton – Action Plan Marketing

I'm convinced that so many people have a hard time with their marketing because of their unwillingness and resistance to being where they are right now. 

"I don't want to be where I am. I want to be somewhere else. And I want to be there as soon as possible!"

    - I want to have a perfect marketing message and branding.

    - I want a great, attractive, well-optimized website.

    - I want to find the perfect places to meet my potential clients.

    - I want to be able to talk to my prospects so they really get it.

    - I want a selling process where I close 100% of my prospects.

    - I want to be making $500K every year, starting now! 

Now, at one level, there is nothing wrong with these. It's a great thing to have goals and go for them. And from one perspective, these are great marketing goals. 

But because they're not yet a reality, we are frustrated, anxious, and worried about the future, thinking we'll never get there. So instead of using goals as beacons to move forward, they become a burden, reminding us that we're not there yet. 

And since things aren't perfect, we put ourselves and our marketing on hold until we get everything into place. It's kind of like the woman who needs to lose 20 pounds before she starts dating. And of course, only when she's bought the perfect wardrobe and gotten a makeover, will she be ready for dating. 

You know how that works out!

I see this tendency with my clients all the time: "Well, when I have my perfect marketing message I'll get out there and use it when I network." And I say, "Well, why don't you get out there and try it out now? And then as you use it you can fine-tune it." And then they say, "Well, I'm not ready yet, give me a few more weeks to get it right!"

Hopeless, right? You don't need to get ready to get into the NOW. It's 100% here, right… NOW!

So the first things to remember about goals, is first you need to be perfectly OK about exactly where you are right now. In this moment, there is nothing you need to change. Be OK with your current marketing message. After all, it's what you have to work with right now.

And then you take the first step. You go to a networking event to talk to people and they ask you what you do. And you tell them what it is you do and they don't get it. Do you see how perfect that is?

Now you have some data to work with! 

You try a different message with the next person you speak with. They are mildly interested, but the conversation doesn't really go anywhere. 

Perfect again. And you're getting the hang of it.  

You are really learning now and having fun. So you remember what I told you about talking about challenges that your clients deal with, and you try a new message. And wow, you really connect with someone who has that exact challenge. And they ask you to send them your article and that they'd like to talk more. 

Also perfect. But not any more perfect than where you were before. 

In every step of the process you were exactly where you needed to be. You were not focused on a "perfect future me" where you sashayed into a networking event with 100% confidence and connected with every person you talked to, walking out with ten solid leads. 

That's a fantasy, by the way. 

Sure, you might aspire to that, but now that you've set your goals, take your mind off of them, and especially off how you think you should be as far as your marketing skills and results go, and just focus on the NOW. 

This goes for everything in your marketing: Your message, your website, your marketing activities, your conversations, your selling process. 

There's one thing for certain for everyone reading this: All of those things in your marketing are exactly where they should be right now. You have the skills you have right now; you have the connections you have right now; and you're exactly who you are right now. 

Perfect. How could anything possibly be missing?

And that's the only place you can really work from. No apologies to anyone, no voices in the back of your head telling you that you should be somewhere else, no beating yourself up. Just being where you are right now. 

And from that place of NOW, you can produce marketing miracles. 

My friend and coach, Fred Davis, knows a lot about being in the here and now and having fun with it. In the video below his topic is, "Oneness 101." It's a reminder we can all use in both our marketing and our life. 

Warning: Fred is a genuine hoot. But listen closely, as he has a very powerful message that will give you genuine insights and have you laughing at the same time.

You can visit Fred on the web at Awakening Clarity.

How do you stay in the here and now in your marketing? I invite you to share your ideas and experiences on the Action Blog by clicking on the Comemtns link below.