If you don’t have a plan, all you have is a dream. Having a marketing mindset to win means keeping your mind positive, maintaining momentum, and staying on track.
Big Goals Lead to Big Success
If you want to have awesome success in achieving big goals, you must have a PLAN. A BIG PLAN! It has to be bigger than any plan you’ve had before.
If you’ve achieved the same goal before… that’s not the type of goal we are talking about. If you accomplished a goal last year, and you want to do ten percent or fifteen percent better… that is not the type of goal we are talking about. You can plan for that, strategize and find a way from day one.
The type of goal we are speaking of is much bigger than that. It is a big goal, and you probably have NO IDEA how you are going to achieve it. This is the type of goal that will stretch you to your limits, and help you reach places you’ve never imagined. This goal is BIG and singular.
The main reason to have such a goal is that your belief in accomplishing the goal has to be so great that every decision you make for the next year, or the next few years, will revolve around that goal and get you one step closer. This is what we mean by marketing mindset.
Your financial advisor will tell you that those without plans never retire. Those that don’t have one, three, five, and ten-year plans don’t often succeed. Not to say it’s impossible, but just much less likely. Many do not plan and save because they cannot feel, touch, or imagine themselves in that state of retirement. Emotional attachment to the word “retirement” is not there.
Here are ways for you to get deep into your goals and feel the emotion of accomplishment before it even happens.
Draw Your Dream
Local to Annapolis, Maryland, Lifelong Educator Liz Clickner taught me to draw my dream on paper. She told me to draw it in great detail. Draw your dream house, for example. The house, the cars, the boat, the gardens, the landscape.
Drawing and writing our dreams not only solidifies them, but it also releases chemicals in our bodies that help us feel positive and motivated towards those dreams. Once complete, place your drawing on your Vision Board and look at it every day. If you don’t have a Vision Board, start one today! More on Vision Boards later.
Use Your Goal Card to Build Your Marketing Mindset
Write your goal down on a card and laminate it. Carry the Goal Card around with you everywhere you go and place it in your front pocket. Read your Goal Card every morning, every night, and throughout the day.
Every time you go into a meeting or are about to face a challenge, reach down and touch the Goal Card in your pocket. This action will send a chemical signal to your brain that will boost your confidence and keep you on track. I was fortunate enough to learn about this trick early on from a gypsy, and later by a professional coach, Andrew Shaffer. This time-tested tool makes a real difference to your success.
Start A Mind Map
Earlier, I asked you to design a goal you have no idea how you are going to accomplish. Mind Mapping is a great technique to work through your ideas and brainstorm solutions.
Write your goal in a circle in the middle of a whiteboard or a piece of paper. Draw lines coming out from the circle – think, “spider legs.” Some examples of ideas to write on the lines include the location, the date of your goal, the people needed to partner with, the names of network partners, or contractors. Think of as many details as you can when you’re brainstorming your marketing mindset. But remember, the plan does not have to be perfect to move forward.
Vision Board
Designing a Vision Board helps you work towards a goal by giving you a visual representation of what you’re working for. It’s a great motivator because it reminds you every day what you’re striving to accomplish. You’ve drawn your goal, you’ve written your goal.
Now, find pictures, quotes, drawings (yours, or ones that align with your goal). Get in touch with what your goal will look and feel like, and make it into a physical combination of your thoughts and feelings surrounding your goal. It should make you feel emotional. This chemical reaction will be instrumental in your success.
Affirmations to Build Your Marketing Mindset
Affirmations are a great way to train our subconscious mind and to nurture our marketing mindset. Ninety-five percent of our actions are reactions which are based on our paradigms… our belief systems. For most of us, old beliefs get in our way and keep us from making progress. We struggle and fail to reach our goals because of our fears and self-imposed limitations. Using affirmations to tell your subconscious the way you want to be and perform is the best way to achieve success.
Unfortunately, this is one of those things in life that is so simple that it is often disregarded as too simple or silly. Don’t buy into that way of thinking.
Start by writing down five or six affirmations on a piece of paper and read them twice a day. If you don’t know what a good affirmation is or what to say Google “top 100 affirmations.” Choose a few and take them for a test drive. Remember, you can always change or add affirmations as the year goes on. The important part is to develop the habit of reading them. Write them down as if they have already happened. Read them out loud for greater impact.
Morning Journaling
“The first ritual that you do during the day is the highest leveraged ritual, by far, because it has the effect of setting your mind, and setting the context, for the rest of your day.” – Eben Pagan, Investor, and Entrepreneur
Journaling in the morning sets aside time to think, plan, create, dream, and set the tone for the day. If you’re looking to add some positive habits to your life plan, start with journaling, and kick off your day with some fresh thoughts on paper.
It doesn’t matter what format you use. I use a guided journal called “Morning Sidekick.” You can start a gratitude journal, work in a planner, or just fill blank pages. Try a couple of things, but start allowing time for this valuable effort first thing in the morning.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
Ingenuity is a great thing, and it certainly has its place in marketing, but lean on the proven methods of those who have walked this path before you. This game has been played for a long time, and many people have worked hard to develop techniques and strategies that will help with your marketing mindset.
When I talk to you about getting coffee, this marketing method may seem old-fashioned or time-consuming. The thing is… it works!
Eat Your Frog
Write down the most important thing you need to accomplish today to move closer to your ultimate goal. Eat That Frog is a famous book by Brian Tracy. When he talks about “Eating that Frog,” he is referring to developing a habit for management of your time and energy.
“The Frog” is that thing you need to do that is not especially fun, but very important. Chances are, you know what I’m talking about. Procrastination is a real problem for most people. But, FOCUS is the key to achieving success.
Attack this most important task that you are avoiding first thing in the morning, and free up your day from this pressing distraction.
You Are NOT Going to Fall Down
Get Ready for Tough Times. If you have a dream, a passion, or if you’re on a journey, you will weather several harsh storms. But, it is very important for me to remind you not to get discouraged. You won’t see it at the time, but this moment of disappointment will be a moment of growth.
Let me remind you of a time when you were younger- a time when you lost a job, maybe. You may have wondered how you were going to get by. Maybe you were scared that you wouldn’t be able to pay bills, maybe you were even worried about how you would eat.
A few weeks later you had a better job making more money and had really grown. Did you fall and have to get back up? Did you fall or STEP UP?!
Looking back on your own experiences, you can see that many of those times enabled you actually to grow and gain precious ground.
One Door Closes, Two Open
I know you’ve probably heard some version of this before. It’s absolutely true! It’s hard to know whether something is working for or against you sometimes until you are further down the road.
Assuming that your next opportunity is right around the corner is a great strategy for growing your marketing mindset. The fact is, that assumption often drives the outcome. A positive mindset will bring positive results.
Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Be ready to receive the opportunity when it shows up. Be grateful. Gratitude is the best way to maintain your positivity and encourage opportunity to knock on your door.
Have Some Perspective
Keep things in perspective when it comes to building your business. Don’t panic when things don’t go your way. Existing in a scarcity mindset, worrying about every marketing step you make to grow your business, will trip you up in the long run.
Adopt an abundance mindset, show gratitude for good things in your life, and focus on your goal and the corresponding plan.
Many of our parents or grandparents fought in major world wars. I am proud to tell you that both my Grandfather, Joseph Maggio, and his brother, Harry Maggio stormed the beaches of Normandy. Both were awarded purple hearts. Compared to them, what was I nervous about?
There are No Failures, Only Experiences
There is only one mistake you can make. Not trying. Sitting on the couch, scared. If you try, at the very least, you have an awesome learning experience. Keep making “mistakes.” Taking shots is the only way to score.
How Do You Eat an Elephant?
The answer, of course, is “One Bite at a Time.” Break your huge project into smaller tasks. It’s okay to test and tune as you go. Adjusting the plan is always okay. Try not to adjust the goal.
You can’t be afraid to jump in and take risks. Being in business has its ups and downs. It’s part of the landscape, and you must be fearless, or pay the price for inaction or indecision.
Terror Barriers
Stop letting excuses keep you in your comfort zone. Every time you want to try something new or take a risk, this huge barrier appears and makes it seem impossible to continue. Written in huge letters, the barrier says; what if – I can’t – I’m too scared – I’ll fail. This barrier pushes us right back into the place we wanted so badly to get out of… our uncomfortable, comfort zone.
Let me tell you how thin your terror barrier is. Imagine a Little League homecoming football game. The football team is about to run out of the inflatable tunnel. The parents have a huge piece of paper spread across the opening. As the Fog Machine starts to cloud the air, the team suddenly bursts through at full speed. The paper tears with ease! The children are elated and already feel accomplished. What a burst of adrenaline right before the game! With that energy, there could have been a barrier every ten yards, and that team would keep running right through them all.
As large in appearance it may be, your terror barrier is paper-thin. Remember, it’s all in your mind. Next time the terror barrier comes up, reach out, take a swipe at it. Your hand will go right through…. Just like paper!
Don’t be pushed back into your comfort zone. Learn to hate it there. You’ve been trying to leave it for years, so why do you keep rationalizing with yourself to stay? Why do you keep telling yourself a “ration of lies”? You can break through your terror barrier.
There Are No Perfect Plans… Take Action
Keep in mind that things don’t always go according to plan. It’s a good idea to have a Plan B. Sometimes, in mid-play, the quarterback has to run an audible. Don’t plan too long or too far ahead because, in real life, _____ happens. Local Realtor, Donna Deter reminded us that, “Man Plans, God Laughs.”
The most important thing is to take action every day. To take one step forward, no matter the size. Three hundred and sixty-five little steps forward will be one big celebration a year from now.
Every Prospect Pays You
A good friend, Pat Voelkel, used to sell cars at Honda of Annapolis. He reminded us of an old used car salesman saying, “Every Prospect Pays You,” to stay positive in the face of rejection.
Routinely, customers would come on the lot looking for a car, ultimately saying “no.” Pat was very patient and knew that one out of twenty would buy a car. He knew that when he sold that car, he would earn $2,000.00. In a hurry to hear his yes, he was fine with those who said “no.” He knew that with every rejection, he was that much closer to his goal.
To stay upbeat, Pat would take a $100 bill and place it in his pocket. Every time a customer would walk on the lot, he would tap his pocket or reach inside and touch the bill. He was giving himself a positive reminder that he was on the way to his goal. With a big smile, he would thank those who said no. A co-worker asked; “Pat, why do you seem happy even though they said no?” He would reply, “Because I am that much closer to my yes.”
Never Chase
Don’t waste time chasing people or trying to force them into your product or service. Allow us to give you some food for thought when it comes to chasing your prospect.
Michelle and I used to sell shoes at New Balance. We found out early on that when we pushed someone into a purchase they didn’t feel fantastic about they would end up with “buyer’s remorse.” They would look at the shoes every day and have a bad feeling associated with the purchase, the brand, and even the salesperson.
Chasing prospects can be a huge waste of time. Remember, it has to be their choice, to do business with you. Let them choose you. As you know, some prospects enjoy your attention but never intend to purchase.
Keep it moving, be yourself, and you will stand out in the crowd.
You’ve Got to Have Momentum
Remember the homecoming game, and the banner we spoke of earlier? If we walked up to that banner, we might not be able to push through. It is going to take some force, even though it’s only paper-thin.
What would happen if you stopped going to the gym after working out for a year? You would lose significant strength and give up all the ground you had gained. Worse yet, you would see all of those who didn’t take a break have great results, while you practically had to start over. You would need to establish a routine and keep up the momentum.
Now that we are battle-ready…Let’s circle back to the beginning and see how all this got started! We will pick up and continue this in our next article, A Networking Sales System.
If your marketing results are not exciting you, it might be time to change your marketing mindset. Call Hawk Marketing today, and let’s review your strategy and opportunities! Let’s work together and watch your business grow!
