Just Be Yourself

So many people follow cookie cutter advice on how to ‘Do’ marketing either online or offline.  I can so understand why you would do that.  I have done that and had enough success to think that if I did some more of that I will have even more success.

What Does Just Be Yourself Mean?

If you are anything like me, you will be looking for more than a ‘product’ or a ‘service’.  Perhaps like me, you are even looking for more than a ‘GREAT product’ or a ‘GREAT service’.

However, I wasn’t really sure what that meant – I just knew I wanted MORE!

Really I only knew what I didn’t want anymore of (interruption, cheap and nasty, impersonal), I just had trouble identifying what the the ‘MORE’ part of that sentence was.  It had nothing especially to do with price or bonus’ or packaging or discounts or coupons.

When speaking with my dear friend, mentor and coach Bob Yeager a couple of months ago I had one of those aha moments:  I was uncomfortable with the lack of connection between the origins of the product or service and the buyer.  For me there wasn’t enough ‘real’ about them.

Real Marketing – Just Be Yourself

That’s where the idea of Just be Yourself came from and that conversation also uncovered the idea that You Can Market from The Heart and Still Make a Profit.

This little epiphany was for me to’ take to heart’, as much as it was to inform the way I want to do business with other people.  We can all take a new look at how we interact with each other, what our motivations are and decide whether or not we are acting in accordance with the kind of life we want to create.

If that is important to you then you are the kind of person I’m hoping to connect with.

In my life, I am striving to live well.  That has nothing at all to do with what I own or how much I have.

It has everything to do with the idea of putting my head on my pillow each evening in the sure knowledge that I’ve been of some kind of service to someone.  That I have added value to a clients business, helped them get a little closer to achieving what it is that is in their hearts for their business, their family, their community.

What Stops Us From Living ‘Just Be Yourself”?

I used to work for someone else.

I had a nice job, good working conditions, great workplace, good pay.  However, I had to leave my family for 10 hours every day.  Our evenings were spent doing homework, making food, ensuring all was ready for tomorrow and getting enough sleep to do it all again in the morning.  Sure we ate together, argued about who was going to do the dishes, read a story each night.

I didn’t mind working for someone else, it was fine in many ways and I gained many great skills along the way as well have doing a good job for my employer.

However it wasn’t enough.

I couldn’t do tuck shop or canteen duty at school and get to know other parents, I couldn’t attend a sports day without getting permission from my boss – who was a sweetie and always said yes –  but I had to ask permission.  Heaven help us if someone was unwell… I’m sure you know the stories, you are probably living them right now.  Something had to change and it did.  Slowly almost imperceptibly. It’s an ever evolving life – usually it’s amazing and when it’s not then I learn something new about myself or someone else.  That’s the way it works and I’m pleased with that.

For me it’s not about what we can do for each other but about how we do that for each other.  How we work together, the fun we can have, how creative we can be, how much value we can create for each other and for the people who will ultimately experience what we do together.  I can only do that successfully when I am following my own advice to Just Be Yourself and I believe the same applies to you.

How to Just Be Yourself?

Having a great understanding of what you are trying to achieve and finding ways to do that in a way that connects with your market in meaningful ways, ways that will create great clients who will become advocates of your business.

It starts with You – why you are in business, what are your dreams for your products or services, how you think your market would like to be able to experience what you have to offer and a willingness to bring that all together in a way that benefits everyone involved.  Just Be Yourself applied is a strong marketing strategy – yes it will involve proven cookie cutter tactics but the execution of them will be perfectly YOU, perfectly your market and will, in time, create strong, resilient relationships.

I’m still learning what this all means for my life, my business, my clients and my relationships within all those areas but it’s revolutionising how I wish to communicate and making it clearer everyday the kind of interactions I wish to co-create.

I hope your day is absolutely wonderful and I urge you to leave me a comment below so I can start to get to know you a little better.  Who knows what amazing things we can do together.