Let me ask you and be honest with yourself here, are you getting the results you want in your business? This message will help get you to the next level if you are great. But, don’t worry; if you’re not, it will undoubtedly put you on the right path.
Lack of Effective Marketing
I’ve read the studies that state the lack of capital is the main reason most small businesses fail. However, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that although I can’t prove it, I believe one of the biggest reasons businesses fail or underachieve is a lack of effective marketing. When I attended a seminar by T. Harv Eker a few years back, he mentioned that “it takes creativity to make money.” In other words, it doesn’t take money to make money; it takes creativity to make money.
Now that’s a hard concept for most of us to grasp; it certainly was for me until I started reading a few Guerrilla Marketing books by Jay Conrad Levinson, which primarily deal with sweat equity and creativity instead of money to promote your business.
Now, why am I telling you this? First, to lay the foundation for the gem I’m about to share today. That gem is a simple yet effective technique I picked up from Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield, two of my mentors.
The Rule of 5
This technique is called the Rule of 5, and what it means is simply doing at least five things every day towards accomplishing a specific goal. Since learning this concept a ways back, I have expanded on it a bit to make it more relevant and effective for me. And my guess here is that there’s a good chance it will suit you as well.
So here’s my adaptation that I call Rule of 5 Marketing. Essentially it means doing at least five marketing activities every day to promote yourself or your business effectively. You commit to this, and you are virtually guaranteed success.
Now that can mean making five phone calls to key prospects, giving a teleseminar to 5 or more prospects, sending out a press release to 5 publications that cater to your target audience, or whatever marketing activity is most effective for your business. Just make sure you do five things day in and day out, without fail, because a big part of marketing is about consistency.
And speaking of consistency, a great way to hold yourself accountable and stay on track is to keep a daily journal where you log the five marketing activities you completed each day.
Suppose you find yourself slipping and not getting it done. In that case, I recommend you enlist a coach or a colleague to become an accountability partner for you – then you can phone them or shoot them an email letting them know you honored your commitment. This adds that little extra something to inspire you to get it done.
So commit to it, journal it and be accountable to apply the Rule of 5 to your marketing every day and watch your business take off.
