“The more I know, the more I realize I don’t know”

You’ve heard the phrase. It’s the pain of pursuing knowledge and wisdom.  I’ve learned this week that the same principle applies somewhere else. Here it is…

The more I do, the more I realize there is to do!

As you may know by now, I launched a new tool that helps people organize, schedule, and track their contacts so they can build better relationships. (www.visionpipeline.com)  Monday I opened the doors to the public. Last week I worked my brains out. To the tune of 140 plus hours!

The whole week I thought about relaxing in the glow of accomplishment after launching. I imagined sitting on my balcony, looking out over the fields and hills, puffing a nice cigar and listening to nature. I pictured lounging a Starbucks with a good book and my overdue stack of reading material. I fantasized about sleeping in late and walking around in my underwear.

I woke up Tuesday morning after the launch with an even bigger to do list. Ouch. No relaxing for me!  In fact, this launch was just the beginning!  There’s a huge responsibility now of spreading the word, getting feedback, improving the tool, building a team, creating relationships, etc, etc, etc.

Ah, the life of an entrepreneur.  Many people dream of the freedom and wealth that comes with ownership.  I don’t know if most people would want to live this way.  It’s never done. Work doesn’t stop. The day never ends.  There’s no safety net. I’m on my own. It all stops with me. There’s always more to do. Always. Forever.

I wouldn’t want it any other way…

Do You Know How To Market Yourself?

I just had a conversation today about the most important skill you can possess.  My friend realized that for all his skill and expertise in his field, it was pretty worthless unless he can magnetically attract people who want to do business with him. Truer words were never spoken.

That’s marketing. And most people suck at it.  Not because they are dumb or untalented.  But because they’ve never been trained. The funny thing is that nearly everyone is an excellent salesman.  Just ask them why they didn’t show up to a party.  They’ll give you their sales pitch, well-crafted and eloquent about why not.  Or ask them why they aren’t in sales. They’ll spend the next 10 minutes, quit convincingly, telling you what a horrible salesman they are. Amazing.

This skill of being able to sell yourself, your skills, your services, and your expertise is the most important skill you can develop. If you have any desire to get a job, rally volunteers, raise kids, or build a business empire, you need to be skilled in marketing. You need to be able to craft words and actions in such a way that people come to you.

Show people that you can solve a particular need in their life.  The connection to marketing is very obvious for business owners and salesmen.  But that’s a small segment of the population. Are you an employee? Guess what…the company you want to work for IS NOT looking for someone else to pay and babysit.  They are looking for a cork in the dike. In other words, they have serious problem and need a solution. If you walk in with a standard resume telling about all the wonderful things you’ve accomplished…you are a commodity and yes, you will have a tough time finding work.  You look like every other revenue leeching body walking through the door.

Your prospective employer is looking for a way to make money or save money. That’s it. They only find joy in having employees as long as the business is profitable. Instead of presenting a resume, create a sales letter. Attach your skills and accomplishments (the features) to the precise results (the benefits) the employer is looking for. Show them that you will make or save them money–how much and how fast. This works (and matters) for any position.

The fundamentals?
Getting the right Message to the right Market with the right Media.
Connect the features of your product (or you) to the benefit the customer will receive.
Deliver the message in a timely manner to the person who most needs to hear it.
Look at what the masses are doing and do the opposite.

Whether you are warehouse worker or CEO, you have goals to accomplish that require other people. If you want to get other people on your team, you need to become a marketer. Read books, observe great marketers, and practice. Realize that you are not a doctor, a window washer, or a retail worker. You are a marketer of the skills and talents that only you have. Don’t let your life go to waste because you don’t know how to make yourself shine.