DIY Marketing

SUBJECT: [DIY Marketing] Time to Stick or Quit – Making the Most of “The Dip”

Hello! I figured that about this time of the month,
you’re either flying high on all of the ideas you’ve read so far
or you’re squarely in the middle of a “dip” wondering what to do
next. Let’s working on getting through that marketing dip.

Oh, and if you just signed up, you can see the course info we’ve
already covered right here:

http://www.diymarketingmonth.com/e-course-email-recap/

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“… never quit something with great long-term potential just
because you can’t deal with the stress of the moment.”
– Seth Godin (From his book, “The Dip”)
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At some point, everyone feels like giving up. Entrepreneurs are a
special breed of goal-oriented persons who are driven to try, fail,
get back up, fail, succeed, lose it and start again and so on.

When you put your DIY marketing hat on, you’re going to run into the
same challenges. The response rate might be low or you didn’t see
the sales you’ve expected or you’re not closing the number of
proposals that you expected to. We all experience marketing dips,
and it’s how we handle them that determines our level of success.

DIY marketers have another lay of complexity in that you typically
expect results right away. I often coach entrepreneurs on little
more than just sticking to the marketing plan they’ve made, even
when the results aren’t coming fast enough. 99% of the time, that’s
the right strategy, but how do we know?

When Seth Godin wrote “The Dip”, he attempted to give usa framework
for quitting or sticking to it at the right time. In fact, as Seth
says, “winners quit all the time. They just quick the right stuff
at the right time.”

How do you know if your marketing strategy is working and whether
you should quit, at the right time, or stick to it. Let’s explore
a few criteria.

1. When you reach your goal, will you be seen as the best in the
world, or will you be seen as trying your best? (best in the “world”
is the right answer”

2. How do you define your “world”? If you make your “world” small
enough (aka Target Market), then you can accomplish “world class” for
the world that matters to you.

3. Are you making progress against your goal(s)? If yes, are the goals
right/wrong, what about the measurement and then finally, what
about your tactics?

4. If you quit whatever you want to quit, what will you rededicate
your time/effort/budget to? Don’t quit any marketing effort without
a very viable alternative and next action.

5. Objectively, how far along are you compared to your vision?
Don’t quit the marathon at mile 25!

6. If I’ve decided to quit, what insane action can I take on
my “way out” that might still change the game and put me into
a dip vs. riding around the cul-de-sac? (think overhaul instead
of incremental)

***** ACTION SUMMARY *****

1. Almost all of us have something that we’re thinking of quitting.
Maybe it’s the email newsletter, or the postcards or the cold calling.
Think about what you want to quit and weigh it against some of the
criteria above.

2. Regardless of your choice to continue or quit. Write out your action
plan to do something else, overhaul your approach or whatever you
decided. Just put down a plan and stick to that plan to wherever
you decided you need to go.

3. Quitting something is never the end. Always be thinking about
“what’s next!”

***** RESOURCES *****

>> Seth Godin “The Dip” (it’s a small book worth the read!)

>> Seth’s “The Dip” website:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/the_dip/

Well, that’s all for now. Be on the lookout for next lesson
tomorrow.

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If you would like to learn more about MarketingSavant’s marketing
strategy, thought leadership or social media services, where you
work directly with me to build your business through strategic
marketing, go to:

http://www.marketingsavant.com/diymarketing

I’ve created a special set of offerings just for DIY Marketing
e-course members.

And, as always… think big and market well!

Yours truly,

Dana VanDen Heuvel

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MarketingSavant(TM)
Leading Through Thought
Social Media // Thought Leadership Marketing
www.marketingsavant.com
dana@marketingsavant.com
Twitter: danavan
888-989-7771
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