5 Tips to Overcoming Your Marketing Blues.

Do you ever have what I like to call the “Marketing Blues”? It’s not pretty. For me, it starts with a gnawing sense that it’s time to get out from behind my computer and let more depressed people know about my services. I know all the marketing stuff I’m supposed to be doing – networking, writing articles, asking for references, making presentations, yadda, yadda, yadda. But it all seems overwhelming. Where to start? Who to call? What to write? In no time my “Inner Critic” starts berating me. “Who would want your personal history services? Who said you could market yourself? Others have far more experience than you do.” Before you know it, I’m back behind my computer feeling defeated, discouraged, and blue.

So how do I get over my “Marketing Blues”? These are the things that work for me. Maybe they’ll help you.

Turn off your “Inner Critic”. Simply tell it to get lost. Imagine locking your Critic up in a box and shipping it off to a deserted island. Or come up with your own method of cutting it loose. A great little book I recommend is Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson.
Do one marketing task in one hour. Pick one simple thing you can do in the next hour. Don’t worry about whether it fits some larger marketing plan or whether your “Inner Critic” pops back to tell how silly you’re being. For me, it can be sending a note and card to some former clients. In it I wish them a Happy Fall or Spring, whatever’s appropriate. I briefly tell them what I’m up to and wish them well. Sometimes I’ll set aside an hour to learn something new about marketing. The point is to do one marketing task in an hour.
Reread a favorite marketing book. One of my favorites is Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Selling. It’s only 219 pages. I can open it up anywhere and get great advice and motivation.
Make a date with a positive, successful friend. I have a friend who, unlike me, is an extrovert with boundless energy. She’s very successful at her home-based business. Getting together, not to have a pity party, but to generate ideas with her is a great antidote for my blues.
Make an Action List. I write down a list of five marketing things I can do the next day. These are manageable, limited, enjoyable action steps I can accomplish in a day. The next morning I’ve got a plan in front of me and I’m ready to start.