You can't just run to Idaho

Welcome to Week 48 of my adventure of following the Start Up Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar and Week 11 as a member of the Marketing Plan Group. In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a website copywriter, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and what I’m learning from my group experience.

You might be like me. I’m the kind of person who loves being organized, but isn’t inherently the best at it. I’m motivated, but messy. I try hard, albeit sometimes haphazardly. I lean toward all or nothing instead of slow and steady wins the race.

But I’m working on it.

I’m finding out that the more systems I put in place, and the more I surround myself with goals, support and small steps towards larger accomplishments, the better I do.

Today’s call was the halfway point in my Marketing Plan Group. And I’ve come miles. Not messy miles, but organized ones. In just weeks I’ve already defined and located my market, come up with my elevator speech, written and created effective social networking profiles, and gathered a list of 20-prospects to call. This group is priceless for someone like me… someone who needs short-term steps and guidance to make long-term accomplishments happen.

I liken this group experience to running.

I love running. I’m slow, but it’s not speed I’m concerned with. I’m concerned with distance. I adore the idea of covering long distances when running. For example, I don’t particularly want to run down the block… I want to run to Idaho.  Unfortunately, as I have found out time and time again, you can’t just run to Idaho. You need to run down the block a few times beforehand.

How a system & support helped:

When I decided to run the NYC Marathon in 2007, 26.2 miles seemed so much cooler than running a 3-mile loop around my apartment, but a big goal like that needed to be approached the right way. I got fitted for shoes by a specialist running store. I stretched. I made a training schedule which broke my runs down by the day. Over weeks, gradually the distance increased. It would be impossible to run 26-miles out of the blue. But step-by-step training made it possible.  I also trained with friends. This meant I got dragged out of bed on days I didn’t really feel like it. And I had people to talk to, b*tch to, laugh with, and accomplish with. And in just a few months, with training and support, I was able to accomplish something I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish on my own. On my own, unfit, I ran 10 miles, hurt my leg, and cried because there was no way I’d ever be able to run a marathon.

It’s like my marketing used to be (before I found Marketing Mentor).

I didn’t really know what I was doing, or how to do it – but I felt like I needed to do something. So I did something. Haphazardly. And I got frustrated when I didn’t get 36 new clients immediately. So I didn’t do it anymore.

Small steps accomplish big goals. If you’re like me, and you need support, there’s a new group starting next week. This week, my group is crafting cold-calling scripts. More on that soon.