Do you have a force that motivates you? This blog focuses on small business and tourism marketing and I understand that some people feel there is just too much to know about this field. But in every endeavor having an attainable goal can make a huge difference. They say that there is only one way to eat an elephant - one bite at a time. This is like the goal to tell the story of your business to your prospects and clients. Think about the day you get a new car. The first thing you want to do is drive. Your goal, at that time, is to get behind the wheel and go anywhere you possibly can. If you happen to run into a friend or two along the way, that’s so much the better. If they want a ride, that’s fantastic. All the world through that windshield is new because you have a different motivator - that new car. But what if you have an old jalopy? Do you still want to go on a road trip, or do you need some other motivation? There are also times when it seems the goal is too far in the distance or that you’re on the wrong path. Sometimes the words from outside your realm can discourage you from taking the steps it takes to work toward your goal. What motivates me are deadlines. For example, knowing that you all are expecting this Monday Morning Marketing blog post on Monday Morning is a powerful motivator. That can also be exemplified by a local restaurant which has an incredible Monday evening blues night. There is almost no getting in on Mondays any longer because of demand, but Monday used to be their slowest night. So, they started the Monday blues performances and a combination of a goal - to fill Monday nights - and consistency has resulted in Mondays now being their busiest night of the week. There must be something about Mondays! For a local tourism organization I make sure that there are beautiful pictures of that destination on Mondays in their social media feed. Setting that goal and being consistent with it has proven to be pretty successful for telling the story of this wonderful place. There was a post a while back where I said the best idea I may have ever had is for a small, local business to get an unofficial board of directors. Having others there for you to assist can be a great way to bounce ideas around but also can be there to make sure you stay on top of your goals. That board of directors could be your motivating force. Unfortunately it’s easy to stray from the pathway to your goal for a variety of reasons. One of those is the discouraging words of others. But, unless they can provide some concrete reason why your methodology is flawed, don’t listen to them. If they are less successful than you would be if you achieved your goal, then absolutely don’t listen to them. People love to criticize, especially if they see you using some creative ways of achieving a goal they’re not familiar with or don’t think they can achieve themselves. Walt Disney got all sorts of negative feedback when he was building Disneyland and it almost didn’t get built. But look at Disneyland today - he set a goal, worked to achieve it and succeeded to the point that today Disneyland’s biggest problem is more demand than capacity. Disney ignored the people who had achieved nothing and continued on his vision for something better and different. He was right and nobody remembers the naysayers now. I made the mistake of listening to someone’s negative feedback and changed my email schedule from once a week to once in a while for the Monday Morning Marketing. This person, whose principal accomplishment is being a Negative Nelly, strayed me from my goal. Last week I asked how many of you wanted me to continue emailing them on Mondays and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Thank you! The bottom line is to set a goal but have a motivator in mind as well. Whether you’re trying to fill your restaurant on Mondays, working toward building your destination, or creating the most famous theme park in the whole world. Step two, don’t listen to the negative feedback of those whose major accomplishment is giving negative feedback. As we all know, opinions are like rear ends. Everybody’s got one, and most of ‘em stink. Don't let this alter your roadmap to success. Written by Anthony B. Barthel
Anu Ylonen
12/20/2016 12:13:19 am
Thank you Tony. Comments are closed.
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Tony BarthelTony Barthel is passionate about great marketing for small businesses Get Free Weekly Marketing TipsCategories
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