Playing It Safe?

Note: today's eZine just may offend you. Please don't read if you don't like being challenged. You have been warned.

In the InfoGuru Marketing Manual, I discuss the most successful way to promote professional services. Understanding this approach can have a profound impact on how successful you are with your ability to consistently attract clients.

In the Manual I say:

"InfoGurus work at spreading the word about how to make things work better. They are committed to results, passionate about solutions, fanatical about what really works. And they spread their gospel far and wide using any and every marketing tool they can get their hands on. InfoGurus get business from all corners because so many people hear about them and their innovative problem-solving approaches."

If I lined up ten of your friends and associates, would they all report that you are passionate, even fanatical about the work you do and the difference you make?

My observation is quite the opposite.

Most business owners may love what they do, but more often than not, they come across as tepid, hesitant, and uncommitted. When they talk about their business they are about as inspiring as a wet sponge.

Look, I'm not out to insult you, but to challenge you.

If you are not passionate about what you do, excited by the difference you make, eager to share with others, inspired by your clients and moved by the abundance of opportunities and possibilities afforded by your business, you are missing the boat.

And what's perplexing to me is that this is the very last thing that business owners focus on.

Many people will do very little to nothing. Others will study everything they can about marketing. Still others will work hard to make external changes to their marketing. But very few will do the thing that makes the biggest difference of all:

Expressing Authentic Excitement About Their Business!

Excitement, enthusiasm and passion are contagious. Certainly more contagious than "knowing it all" or having a perfect marketing message or even a beautiful web site.

Those things (and many more) will emerge naturally out of your enthusiasm and passion. You don't do all of that stuff and hope that it adds up to excitement. You come from excitement and all your marketing will come together effortlessly.

But you say:

"But I can't act excited, Robert, if I don't feel excited! You might be enthusiastic and passionate about your business. That's great, but my business is not inherently exciting. And besides, that's not my style. When you talk about having marketing breakthroughs, I just can't relate."

I hear this kind of thing a lot. And it sounds very reasonable. In fact, most people would nod in agreement: "Yes, don't get too excited, you might be disappointed and you'll probably turn people off. Better to be low-key and play it safe."

Ah yes, the mantra of the mediocre: "Play it Safe."

What you may not realize is that playing it safe is killing your business, eliminating your future, suffocating your soul. Playing it safe has become more important than being fully alive.

When you are fully alive, you don't think about yourself much or how good you look. Instead, you think of those you can serve, those you can make a difference with, those whom you can contribute to. And what more natural outlet to do this than through your business?

Ask yourself, "What is the deadly cost of playing it safe?"

And then ask, "What's really the worst thing that could happen if I let myself get excited, enthusiastic and passionate about my business?"

Finally, ask, "What breakthroughs might happen in my business if I allowed myself to express this excitement, enthusiasm and passion?"

Are you ready for this kind of breakthrough?

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Marketing breakthroughs come from expressing your natural excitement, enthusiasm, and passion about your business. They do not come from playing it safe. Honestly answer those questions above. They are the gateway for the breakthrough you are looking for.

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What business breakthroughs have you had when you stopped playing it safe? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Comments

[Judy Murdoch]

Couple thoughts come to mind for me:

First, the words "passion" and "passionate" no longer resonate for me as a business owner. They've become so over-used and sometimes badly used that I cringe a little when I hear someone use them.

I sometimes feel, right or wrong, that passion is the domain of the amateur and newbie. Someone more masterful and secure in their craft doesn't need to talk about how they're "passionate" because it's communicated in everything they do.

Second, I know it has taken me a painfully long time to feel confident enough about my abilities to be able to begin to take a stand. A lot of credit goes to Mark Silver who has written some terrific articles on the importance of standing strong within what he refers to as our "worldview."

Thomas Leonard, my coaching instructor used to refer to this as being "edgy." He encouraged coaches to stop trying to be "nice" and the client's "buddy" and to push the clients albeit with compassion and acceptance.

I think the article you wrote, Robert is a good example of this empathetic type of challenge.

BTW, I thought the article was refreshing and affirming. Please write more.

Best regards,
Judy

[David Ryan]

I provide media replication and multimedia services, and my clients are often those in charge of getting a message out. Typically, they come to me when they have either a technical challegne or a time crunch.
At this time a year ago, I stepped out of my "safe" zone and began a quirky e-mail marketing campaign featuring, of all things, one of our family cats,named Mindy. It was zany, but people could tell that I was having fun with my work. That led to starting a website following Robert's guidelines where my passion to inform and be of service was further expressed. The "Mindy Mails" and website/blog continue, and my sales are up 45% year-to-date over same period last year.

[Rob]

Thanks Robert, this is an extension of the article last week about staying in the comfort zone. (See I do read them all) and I agree that it's too easy to slide down into mediocrity.

Getting ‘fired up’ is sometimes difficult when life seems to be conspiring against you at every turn, but in fact one way out of that situation is to apply the greatest of energy to your problem. If someone had you held in a bear hug, would you just allow yourself to be squeezed to death, or would you fight back and apply adrenaline fuelled action to break free?

[Ruby Curran]

I am enthusiastic and passionate about my business, but I must admit, I do a good job of keeping it to myself - unless someone shows an interest during a conversation. Why?

I'm concerned about turning people off. I'm often turned off when someone I meet goes on and on about something I'm really not interested in. It often seems like they're trying to push me into something. I don't want to do that to others, so I find it hard to promote myself.

Does that make any sense? Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

How can I be sure I'm being passionate without annoying other people? Ideas?

Thanks! Ruby

[Shama Hyder]

Hi Robert,

The majority of my clients tell me they signed up with me because of my passion.

One client recently asked- "Do you ever sleep?"

I LOVE what I do. Marketing isn't exciting to most people, but my energy helps them see the potential too.

Great post!

[Diana Del Bel Belluz]

Robert,

I've found that since I've come out of the closet and started talking about my passion for my field of exertise that it has attracted all kinds of people that share a similar passion. For example, people now tell me that my enthusiasm comes through in how I speak and write about my business. That rarely happened before. My contacts are finally seeing a part of me that was there all along, but my modesty and aversion to being in the spotlight was hiding it.

In response to your recent articles, I've started to question my assumptions and face my marketing fears. As a result, the breakthroughs just keep coming. Look at me, writing on a blog for the first time.

Keep the challenges coming!

[Andrea J. Stenberg]

Robert,

I couldn't agree more. Amazing things start to happen when you stop playing it safe.

For me, playing it safe took the guise of perfectionism. When I stopped worrying about being perfect - which is really just worrying about failing - and started taking risks, things really started taking off for me.

Just last month I took a risk and ran a free teleseminar - I interviewed someone I "met" on the social networking site LinkedIn about using that site for marketing. I'd never done a teleseminar but I didn't allow myself to dwell on that. I went ahead and planned, promoted and ran the event.

The results were amazing! I got 65 people signed up and tons of great feedback. Now I know that 65 signups would be nothing for you Robert, but this is the most I've ever had for anything I've done.

Thanks for the great post.

Andrea J. Stenberg
www.TheBabyBoomerEntrepreneur.com

[Louise BJ]

Hi Robert

I absolutely agree that we have to be passionate about our businesses. In my experience, that goes hand in hand with believing that what I offer is valuable to my clients and will make a real difference.

Passion and belief - a powerful combination!