More Solid Than a Brick Wall

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

If you're in the business of giving advice, or supporting people in getting things done, or providing a service designed to improve your clients' results, you've probably heard one or more version of the following:

"Oh, I tried that before. It didn't work. In fact, it won't work!"

The thing is, you know it will work. You've used your approach successfully with many clients in the past and, all things being equal, you know what you're recommending has a good chance of success. If... they'd only give it a chance.

What you've run into is a mindset. And mindsets are very solid. More solid than a brick wall in many cases. A mindset has the following characteristics:

1. It's a strongly held belief or conviction.

2. It really feels true to the person with the mindset.

3. There is attachment or identification with the mindset.

4. Disagreement with the mindset often triggers negativity.

5. The mindset correlates with both actions and avoidance.

So, if we suggested to our client that they raise their rates and you happened to hit a certain mindset about this you could expect to hear some of the following:

1. "We just can't raise our fees, especially in this economy."

2. "Our fees are already high, so we can't raise them further."

3. "We like to be known as a business with affordable fees."

4. "If we raise our fees it will hurt our business."

5. Let's talk about something else to increase profits."

Like I said, more solid than a brick wall!

Another thing about mindsets is that it's easy to see them in others but very hard to see them in ourselves. We think we don't have mindsets. Sure, we have opinions (based on experience) and we have certain ways we think we should run our businesses.

But no, we're definitely not stuck in any mindsets.

Is that so?

Mindsets (not circumstances) shape performance and results. And if you've ever been stuck and unable to produce a particular result, it logically follows that there had to be a mindset firmly in place or there would be no struggle.

EVERYTHING you experience is based on a mindset.

Every thought, every opinion, every attitude, every business practice, every principle, every creative idea, everything we do in our business (and life) is ALL based on mindsets.

There is NOTHING BUT mindsets.

The good news is that there are two kinds of mindsets:

Constrictive and Expansive.

An expansive mindset is another way of saying "an open mind." An expansive mindset sees new possibilities, is not defensive, is curious and interested in how things work. An expansive mindset is always wondering how to make things better, make a bigger contribution and how to grow. Great performance and results come from expansive mindsets.

In some areas of our lives we have an expansive mindset.

For instance, when it comes to my business and marketing myself, I have a pretty expansive mindset. As a result, I experience my business as fun and challenging, interesting and exciting. I don't struggle in my business, I have a great time and usually produce excellent results.

What about constrictive mindsets?

A constrictive mindset is another way of saying "a closed mind." A constrictive mindset sees difficulties, problems, and obstacles. It insists on being right and is not very interested in exploring or learning or growing. A constrictive mindset is always thinking how to be comfortable and safe. Poor performance and results come from constrictive mindsets.

In some areas of our lives we have a constrictive mindset.

For instance, when it comes to sports or athletics or exercise, it's usually a struggle for me. I don't wake up thinking about going for a run; I think of sleeping in! I work at exercising but it doesn't come naturally to me. And although I'm not really overweight, I admit I'm pretty out of shape.

Your Marketing Mindset

Since this eZine is about business and marketing, the question I have for you is: what are your constrictive mindsets? You don't have to worry so much about your expansive ones, they'll take care of themselves.

The only way to transform a constrictive mindset into an expansive one is to first realize that you have that mindset and then look at what it's costing you (in results and fulfillment). The next step is to start imagining what things would be like without that old mindset.

Some of the most constrictive mindsets I've seen in business are related to marketing and selling your services. I talked about these last week. The symptoms are "no plan, poor organization and fear." All of these come out of constrictive mindsets.

What mindsets about marketing would you like to transform?

Would you like to be able to raise your rates? Attract more of your ideal clients? Communicate about your services with more impact? Get more meetings with qualified prospects? Turn more of those meetings into paid clients? Get tons of referrals?

Of course you would!

There are specific how-tos for all of those. But before you learn the techniques and skills to implement them, I assure you that you'll find them a whole lot easier if you transform your constrictive mindsets about them first.

Transform first, learn how-tos second.

Because there are limitations to a short eZine article about how exactly to do this, I'd like to invite you to a complimentary teleclass on "Transforming your Marketing Mindset."

A teleclass is a 75 minute class by teleconference where we'll have from 50 to 100 people on the line. We'll talk about some of the powerful strategies you can use to transform a constrictive mindset about marketing into an expansive one.

The date will be Thursday April 16. Please go here for details on time, what will be covered, and how to make a reservation.

www.actionplan.com/tc_mindset.html

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The More Clients Bottom Line: There's nothing more important you can do in your business than work on transforming your constrictive mindsets into expansive ones. If you don't, you'll simply avoid marketing. No matter how much information and strategies and tactics you learn, it's unlikely you'll ever apply them.

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What results have you seen in your business when you transformed a constrictive mindset into an expansive one? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Comments

[Mawuna KOUTONIN]

Thanks Robert for sharing this insights.
Something important is missing however.
We change mindset ONLY when it becomes PAINFUL, painful enough to trigger discomfort to look for sources of heal.
The second way the mindset change is we accidentally make a move that result in SUCH A BIG pleasure or REWARD, that we remember the move script and from this MOMENT we conscientiously replace the old mindset with the new script.

[Milli Thornton]

I just finished writing my first screenplay and now I have "fear of pitching" (writers are expected to pitch their screenplays to potential buyers in 60 seconds or less).

Reading your article about mindsets came at just the right moment, helping me realize there really is no logical reason why I need to perpetuate this situation of "no plan, poor organization and fear."

There are books and audios to help writers learn how to pitch, I'm already an organized person and I can take care of the fear by simply immersing myself in the process--becoming very familiar with the concepts--and then practice, practice, practice.

Thanks, Robert. Timely information, as always.

[Jim Blanchard]

Yesterday I was introduced to a great concept and discipline called Attractive Inquiry. Look on Google. It is a way to do what you are talking about with clients and in self awareness as well. It is not so much about changing mindsets as it is focusing on what is good and great.

Jim Blanchard