Technology Marketing Minute

Is Your Inner Salesman In Hibernation With Your “Opportunity Antenna” Switched Off?

By Robin Robins, President, Technology Marketing Toolkit, Inc.
www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com

A friend of mine recently told me a terrific story about his wife who has osteoporosis. Not terrific in that she has this disease, but a sensational example of why most small business owners are not bothering to pick up on a steady flow of opportunities lying at their feet that, with the tiniest bit of initiative, would result in monumental leaps in income.

First, the story…

My good friend said that his wife, plagued with osteoporosis, started taking a particular Pilates class offered by a young entrepreneur who had opened his own fitness studio. This young man had started the business several years ago with the dream of owning a profitable boutique fitness studio where he could ‘call the shots’ and operate it the way a gym is supposed to be operated. But, fast forward several years and he’s still struggling to pay the rent.

He was frustrated and shared his misery with my friend. “I don’t get it. I offer a much better, more personalized service for my clients. Just try to get the kind of personalized attention at one of those meat market gyms! I’m really starting to hate this business.”

My friend said, “You know, my wife was diagnosed with osteoporosis and since taking your classes, has not only stopped the advance of it, but according to her doctor, has actually started to reverse it. Why don’t you take that story and market it to all the women in this area who fit that profile? You could even approach doctors who specialize in this disease and offer your services to their clients!”

His reply? “Doctors won’t refer me. And I’ve tried running ads in the newspaper with no results. My Yellow Pages ad barely brings in anything, and it’s costing me a fortune. Let’s face it – I just can’t compete with the bigger gyms because people only care about price.”

Yes, this is a true story and I’m sure you can already see what’s happening here. Yet it begs the question, are YOU overlooking niche markets and opportunities that, right now, are lying at your feet just begging to be realized?

Tony Robbins taught me many things, but one of the most important lessons I learned was about mindset and belief systems. Ask anyone why they aren’t achieving a goal or result that they want – can be anything. Money. Weight loss. Time off. Pick one.

Instantly, they’ll tell you their story…

“Well, I can’t do marketing right now because I want to have a life -- and if we do marketing, I’ll end up getting more clients and have to work 70-80 hours a week…and I just don’t want to do that.”

Here’s another popular one: “I’m just too busy to do marketing.” The truth? They have themselves convinced that they HATE marketing, they’re not good at it, and therefore they make sure they are “too busy” to spend any time on it.

It’s an excuse.

Marketing doesn’t just get done by people with nothing else to do. It’s forced into the schedule. Besides, marketing is not just about postcards and web sites…it’s about strategy work. It’s about finding the answer to the question, “How can I double my revenue while reducing the number of hours I work in the business?”

But no one ever seeks answers to THAT riddle because they have themselves completely convinced that it’s not possible. Second reason: they stay “too busy” in their daily habits of doing the work instead of taking time to look up from the hole they’re digging to make sure they’re digging in the right spot.

Challenge someone on this and they will get downright nasty defending their belief. “What do YOU know? You don’t have to deal with the same clients/situation/family/employee issues that I have to deal with! Easy for you to say because you have the advantage of being in a different city/business/client base/family…”

Are you getting the picture? Could YOUR inner salesman by hibernating? Could you be overlooking HUGE opportunities to gain more freedom, money, and easy success?

What’s YOUR story?

Now, a more important question…

Are you courageous enough to quiet your ego and start findings ways to make more money, attract a better quality of client, command outrageous fees, all while taking more time off?

If yes – and you can handle the heat - register for one of my half-day seminars:

www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com/event

You’ll see, firsthand, why so many computer consultants have eagerly sent me all those raving-fan testimonials.

Dedicated to your success,

Robin