Why you don’t NEED a marketing plan

If you pick up a copy of the November 2003 issue of Contractor magazine, you will see my website on page 10, along with a fair amount of promotional copy.

How did I appear in a major national magazine?

Do I have a great PR person? Did you know someone at the magazine? Was this part of my carefully crafted marketing plan?

No, no and um, no.

I’ll tell you exactly how I did it.

Are you ready?

I picked up the phone.

A few months ago, I was flipping through a previous issue of Entrepreneur and saw that they had a section that listed web resources.

I looked at the bottom of the page and saw the author’s name.

I went to the front of the magazine, found the headline, and found the telephone number of its editorial offices.

I called that number and asked for that guy.

He picked up the phone.

I asked how I could submit a resource.

He told me.

I sent mine.

He executed it.

Serenity?

Well, I think when you spend energy, you get good things back. But honestly, I just picked up the phone.

I see this as a great example that you don’t have to be perfect.

I didn’t wait until I had a marketing plan.

I didn’t wait until I had all my ducks lined up.

In fact, I am proud to share that I have never been completely prepared for whatever you’ve taken on.

He only knew who he wanted to reach and what he wanted to say.

(I wanted to reach solo small business owners and professionals, and I wanted to inform them of all the free and valuable information on my website.)

And you know what?

That is also all YOU need to know!

Listens, marketing plans are great. If you have one, more power to you. I often wish I had a nice and orderly plan to follow throughout the year. In fact, it’s been on my to-do list for about five years.

It just doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to.

I realized that what works best, for me, is to simply take advantage of opportunities as they arise, even if my pattern is haphazard. Otherwise, it would still be where it was two years ago, waiting until you come up with a plan. I will never move forward if I keep waiting for everything to “be done.”

I just attended one of the highest level internet marketing conferences for entrepreneurs in the world. And one of the speakers, a man who has made millions with his internet business, uttered a phrase that has stuck with me ever since:

“It’s amazing how much money you can make in this world without being perfect.”

Are you trying to be perfect? Trying to plan everything ahead? Get in your own way?

STOP.

Right now, right now, I want you to do one thing, just one, that you know would boost your business. Especially something simple that you’ve been putting off.

Maybe it’s picking up the phone and introducing yourself to that important person your friend referred you to.

You may be replying to that email about a great opportunity, but you have been busier with more “urgent” things.

Perhaps you are submitting one of your articles to the publisher of that e-zine with 100,000 subscribers who are your target market.

Maybe it’s completing that proposal to speak at a convention that will put you in front of 500 prequalified prospects.

Please do it.

(c) 2003 Alexandria K. Brown

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