BruceFields.com

No matter how you slice it we are into marketing, right? Whether it’s MLM, or GPT or any of the various forms of internet commerce, it’s all reduced to that. Even organizations which purport not to be looking to make any money but just seeking to have people join or associate with them, they have to reach out and find the appropriate ones and see if they can become interested in their case, whatever it may be. Marketing.

That being said, there is much about it that most may agree upon, and much which they might not. But when the monitors go dark, the phones stop ringing and the social gatherings are over, what determines the real success of the efforts may not just be how much money was immediately made or how many people were immediately convinced, but how many hearts were won. Not dollars, hearts.

Think  about it. Let’s say you are in some business and you want to get people to buy your product or service. Or let’s say you have an organization and you need to have people who will participate. In both cases, having someone who will drop some money or spend some time and then disappear may not be the best thing for you or your enterprise. Sure, the immediate pay-off may seem great. It’s certainly better than not having any response at all. And there are many business people who operate on the “Flash and Grab” notion that all they want is a quick harvest and then move to another enterprise.  And I would say to them, “Fine.” If that’s all you can see and it serves you, all well and good. Unfortunately, however, many, not all, of such businesses are most likely to not be of any real benefit to anyone besides the promoter, and in fact might tend to be harmful. I said tend to be, but that’s just my take on it.

On the web today we see so many really excellent people offering all kinds of training of the most widely used marketing vehicles: PPC, Article Writing, E-Zine Advertising, Voice Broadcasting, Postcards, Social Media and much, much more. I’ve even had training from someone who I respect greatly (he happens to be one of the true majors in the field) who reported that he knows someone who successfully went to gatherings with a sign taped to his back saying “I Need A Partner To Work With Me In A New Business. Ask Me About It.” And of course he got some good results, initially.

But learning the techniques alone, it turns out, does not assure marketing success. Many of the good trainers today have all made the excellent point that what is necessary to become a successful marketer is “branding” and that means making oneself the product, whatever it is you’re selling. They all say, and I agree wholeheartedly, that people don’t like being sold anything. They like to buy things. So anyone who is still  using old methods of making overstuffed presentations, talking about how great their thingy is and how terrific the company is and how sales are busting through the roof and how it’s all about timing and NOW is the moment come round at last and only losers won’t jump on and on and on, has lost it.

Yep.  And Next you will be taught, in the old school, to answer “objections!” Yeah, they got all of them listed and some really slick dudes and dudesses will be showing you how smoothly you can handle them with the prepared responses we all love so dearly.

Not?

Oh, you mean we don’t? You mean we recoil in horror when someone tries to approach us with that stuff? And to add insult to injury, even though we feel totally as uncomfortable with that method as we naturally do, we are expected to go out and foster it on friends, family, associates, cold calls, EVERYONE? Oh wow. No wonder we are all so rich, right? (Don’t tell me that it’s just numbers and that if I do this to 1000 people I will be well on my way. I’d rather eat an old baseball mitt).

So the modern gurus have definitely seen all this and have come up with the essence of what it is that will work for everyone in today’s society and market. Become an expert in whatever it is you are involved with, and instead of focusing on just trying to sell it, sell the expert, sell yourself. Get people to trust you, respect you, know you. And THEN they will want to buy. You won’t have to sell anything.

This is basically what today is called “Attraction Marketing” and it is right on target. But still, as truly potent is this once truly secret approach is, many people will find themselves unable to master it for several different reasons.

First, they will say “I’m not an expert. I don’t really know enough. I need to learn more.” Or, “I’m too shy. I can’t talk in a way that someone will look up to.” Or, “I can’t act like something I’m not.”

That’s the biggy for most people just starting to digest this method; the belief that they need to know EVERYTHING coupled with the fear that they actually know nothing. And isn’t is kind of “phony” being an “expert” when you know how incredibly inexpert you really are? Well, my answer to all that is BLAH BLAH BLAH.

I’m not saying it’s OK to be a phony. I’m saying you’re not a phony. I’m not saying it’s OK to not know anything. I’m saying you know something. It really all comes down to who you really are as a person, and what you would like to accomplish. Now, most marketers are not going to go there because is gets kind of messy bringing in human values and psycho-emotional conditions when you know it’s better to KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). And although that simplicity certainly works for many people, it also won’t for many others. And the reason for that is not that what is being taught is wrong. It’s not. It’s dead on right. It’s the best, most human advice and instruction you can get. Attraction Marketing is what it’s all about today, and maybe always has been!? But for those who don’t seem to be able to get into it, there is the missing step to help explain why and maybe, hopefully enable them to “do it.”

Several of the good trainers, and I’m thinking again especially of Mike Dillard who I think may actually have created the whole Attraction Marketing phenomenon, have also made the essential point that what is basically required is that you, the marketer, not focus on wringing out the dollar, but instead just devote yourself to helping people. That by just making that shift, you will find your pot of gold.

But here is where the missing step is found. Most of us come into the business with the single thought that we need to make money. Well, yes, we all would do well to make money and not have to suffer the painful results of the alternative. But let’s think for a minute. Most, not all, unfortunately, of us are not at death’s door. We have what we need to function pretty well from day to day. Maybe not as much as we would like, but usually enough. Are you still with me? I’m not going to take you down the path of asceticism here. I’m not suggesting that one might not mind relinquishing all worldly goods. Not even close. But what I’m suggesting is needed, as the first part of creating that missing step, is a shift of  perspective.

Take a breath and give yourself some time to consider that your values may actually be hindering your success. Not that they are “bad” values, but maybe just not the best ones for you. Needing to “make money” can be pretty devastating emotionally. And the effect of that is not invisible. It is very visible. It is not attractive. We’re talking attraction here! So if being attractive to people is what will make you successful, thinking or feeling something which makes you unattractive is not such a good decision, and you DO have the ability to choose these things. You do.

So how do we change that? How do we change from someone who is worried about making money to someone who isn’t putting out that message? And you can’t fool people about that. If you feel it, they’ll know. It’s kind of like the Catch 22 Perfect Contrition which many of you will understand, I’m sure. So what’s the answer?

Think truly about helping other people. You don’t need to be Michaelangelo if you want to teach painting, or Jesus for compassion. You only need to be willing to generously teach what you really can, and do it out of caring. Do it only out of wishing to be helpful to others. Of course you need to believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing. Do not try marketing something you don’t truly believe in 100%. Never. But when you combine your implicit trust in what you are offering with a truly felt desire only to help, not sell or persuade, another, then you will not only help to change that other person for the good, but yourself as well. And damn, if that won’t very frequently end up with money no longer being a problem, in more ways than one . Truly (for the umpteenth time)!

So what is the missing step if you decide to learn Attraction Marketing and give up the martial arts approach to sales? First, shift your perspective from worrying about your own condition to how you can help other people improve theirs. And second, practice it by creating your business around that very idea. When your imagination has created this idea for you, just keep at it and it will become “real.” The happiness and success this will bring you is more than you may even envision at this moment. But when you get there you will wonder how you never saw it before. It’s part of what Tantric practice is all about, actually. But that’s for another day.

My intention here is just that. I know that what I have written here will be helpful to some, and that encourages me to do more to help more. Let me know if you need to have any more information about what I’ve written and I will make myself available to any and all.

I mentioned Mike Dillard and I respect him and his work. He’s someone who can also be a tremendous benefit, especially when dealing with what I’ve been discussing here. For anyone who would like to learn more from the major source, I offer the following link. It’s a truly useful tool offering at no cost;  a superb 7 day video boot camp that he created on attraction marketing. If you think that this is something you would like to learn more about, then here is your chance to get a lot of free information. I have absolutely no doubt that you will find this extremely helpful, and none of us can do this without good, solid help!.  If you take this step you will benefit immeasurably, and your prospects all certainly will as well!