How many of you would say that you are self-motivated? Hopefully the answer you say aloud to others is the same as the one you are thinking. Working as a small business owner, or for a small business, requires self-motivation. And while we may have a lot of it, there are inevitably times that we may need a little encouragement.
At Dimalanta Design Group we like to say:
“You need to be a marketing machine that just happens to specialize in a particular product or service.”
Without marketing, you may be the only person who even knows about your particular product or service. So, because small business owners and their employees need to wear many different hats each day, consistent self-motivation is essential. If not, sooner or later balls will drop because there will always be another fire to put out or a customer that requires extra time and attention.
A Marketing Consultant is equivalent to a Personal Trainer. We utilize the Personal Trainer to keep us motivated, on-track to achieve our fitness goals, and accountable. If we know that we are going to see our Trainer on Wednesday we will probably skip that dessert and monitor our physical activity very closely. Likewise, if we know we are going to see our Marketing Consultant the following week we will be sure to complete the tasks assigned to us to show our commitment to growing our business.
For larger companies there is always someone to report to, which keeps us accountable. But for smaller companies that luxury doesn’t always exist. Creating a model that promotes accountability and encourages self-motivation are instrumental to success. And while we might need more assistance initially, we can always take off those “training wheels” and put what we’ve learned to the test. Checking in less frequently as our marketing skills become stronger.
Keep it disciplined.