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My website is a good place to start - resources, articles and more. www.MediaImpact.biz

Inspiration From An Unlikely Source, 2

"If you have some daily anguish from some cause that's not really your fault -- a rotten family, bad health, nowhere looks, serious money problems, nobody to help you, minority background, rejoice! These things are your fuel!" -- Helen Gurley Brown

What's Your Jetliner?

Boeing says despite "the economy" it will build a 737 jetliner a day. Experts say they can't/shouldn't. I say, setting an audacious goal is a great place to start the conversation.

Inspiration From An Unlikely Source

If the banks could get from where they were in December to what they're reporting now (if it's true), imagine what YOU could achieve in 3 months. Or pretend to have accomplished and get away with, which in life is often just as good.

Do You Have a Call List?

Are there five people you've been meaning to call because they could be business, a referral, or a helpful lead? Write down their names and numbers on a pad, and keep it out on your desk until you have called each one. At some point, you will get tired of having that piece of paper clutter your desk, and you'll get those calls made.

Marketing For Independent Professionals: It’s Wake–up Time... You can’t stop marketing in a recession. Here’s how to do it – even on a “tough times” budget.

I recently caught up with a college student I know. He’d graduated high school last year bursting with dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. How did he feel now, I wondered, after this year of global economic turmoil? As gung-ho as ever, it turned out. Excited, even. “In down times,” he told me, “there’s less to lose, more to gain – and less competition.” What a great attitude. Nothing beats being 19! How many of his parents’ generation of independent professionals and entrepreneurs wake up every morning feeling such optimism? Not enough of us, I fear. But really, folks, what good is despair going to do? And let’s not be distracted by the gloomy headlines about big companies shedding jobs. We’ve always known that stuff happens. We decided long ago we’d rather have our fates in our own hands. So what are those hands doing today? What have you done to market and find new clients?

It’s so easy to say, “No one’s buying,” or “I can’t afford to spend on marketing.” To dispel the first myth, I’ll point out that I am writing these words on a brand new computer. It is one of TWO new ones I now have. I really didn’t want to buy two new computers now – I had no choice. The lesson: somewhere, someone needs what you offer. Your job – and that person’s – is to find each other. Here’s how independent professionals can do that in 2009:

Job 1 : Stay visible. Maintain a good database of clients, prospects and referral sources. Use it often – and inexpensively – by sending simple emails, letters and postcards. Make phone calls. Attend networking and community events. Be top of mind with prospective buyers.

Job 2: Stay valuable. Use your mailings to showcase your expertise, not to tell the market-place you are great and they should hire you immediately. All those e-mails and mailings should serve up a little slice of your knowledge: a tip or suggestion, a small hint of what you provide to your clients, a re-minder that they – or someone they know – may need you, even now (just like I needed those new computers.) To get a quick idea of how to do this easily, visit my website, www.AwakenTheMarketer.com.

Job 3: Stay frugal. Keep these pieces simple, and low-cost. Two or three helpful sentences on your topic of expertise may seem superficial and “scratching the surface” to you. But to the marketplace, it’s insight. Don’t do any marketing that costs major time or money. Just get some ideas out in an email or postcard or letter! As you gain confidence in this system, expand it by developing your website similarly, sharing bits of your expertise on it. Then widen the approach to social media like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and blogging.

Don’t wait for “good times” to return – do something good with your time today to make something happen.

Welcome