Article Contributed by Gary Jordan
So, you’ve got something to say that you think others will find valuable. You’ve created an information based product and coaching services to enhance and optimize its value. And people are knocking down your doors to buy!
Unfortunately, while the first part may be true, without a lot of effort the second rarely is. The key to getting people to buy what you have to offer is marketing, and if you have been working on attracting people to your products and services already, you know there is no lack of vehicles available on the internet to do just that. But that’s part of the problem. There are so many ways available to let people know about what you have to offer it is difficult to know what the best one is. More to the point, there is little out there to help you discover which one is the best one for you.
Most successful internet based marketers that I know of have found their success through a hit-and-miss process that has cost them a lot of time and money. They are successful in large part because they learned from early failures and they did not let those failures dissuade them from continuing to pursue their vision. But depending on what source you read, the percentage rate of internet based businesses that fail is in the mid- to upper-90s. Clearly, many people are unsuccessful in their marketing efforts, due in large part, I believe, to the fact that they have not found their marketing ‘comfort zone’
Marketing is a complex business, but one thing I know is that it takes determination and perseverance. If you are not comfortable with the things you do to market yourself, your products, and your services, you are not going to stick with them through the inevitable failures and adjustments required to see the rewards of success. Awareness of your marketing comfort zone– what fits you and what you have to offer– is a critical component of marketing success. How you perceive the world– your Perceptual Style (PS) – has everything to do with what type of marketing will be most comfortable (and therefore most productive) for you. People do the things they are comfortable with and the things they enjoy, and when the going gets tough it is these things they return to. Integrate your marketing activities with who you are and you will discover your marketing comfort zone.
Understanding your marketing comfort zone will allow you to understand which marketing activities are best suited to you, which approaches take best advantage of your skills and talents, and what types of media present you and what you offer in the best light. In addition, when you market from your marketing comfort zone, you send a message that is consistent with who you are, and it is also integrated with your Perceptual Style. Such a message is received favorably by both clients and prospects. Discovering your marketing comfort zone requires some effort on your part to learn about and understand your PS and to study how the skills and talents it supports fit with different ways of promoting yourself in the internet marketplace. But the rewards are worth the effort.
About the Author:
Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents. For more information, visit http://www.yourtalentadvantage.com.
