Sometimes - wthout warning - I do a complete 180 and surprise myself by abandoning long-held beliefs...

This is not a post directed at entrepreneurs, but since entrepreneurs are in fact people - most of them anyway - it might be of interest...who knows. Besides, I think I may be the only person who reads my posts, as I am of course fascinated by my insights. :-)

Sometimes - without warning, and often against my will - I do a complete 180 and surprise myself by abandoning (or at least questioning) long-held beliefs. This isn't something I plan, mind you...for no reason at all, sometimes it just hits me that something that I am passionately opposed to or in favor of; have loudly protested or supported; have argued for or against, may not be quite so black and white after all. This used to irritate me, as changing these beliefs is paramount to shouting, "hey! I was wrong!" I have come to welcome these moments, though, as I believe they may just represent personal growth.

It is easy to look at a situation from your point of view...it takes courage and determination to consider - really consider - something from an opposing viewpoint. I try to make it a point to look at both sides of an equation...oftentimes I fail miserably. I have strong political views, for example, which comes as no surprise to those who know me. However, I do try - and again, sometimes fail - to step back and consider that my view may either be wrong, or at least complicated in its "rightness" (how's that for failing to fully commit to any "wrongness" on my part). I do not expect to radically change my political views, by the way, though I find myself trying to be more open to dialogue when the occasion presents itself. But, I digress.

Tonight I sat down for the first time in five months to spend an hour reading a magazine. Fortune came in the mail today, and I was excited to see that it was the issue that contained a roundup of "The 50 Most Powerful Women in America." (There was also an international version.) I read this section and marveled at the accomplishments of these remarkable women, devoted a little time to feeling inadequate and inferior, and then pondered how I, too, can make a difference. Then it hit me.

Here I am feeling all proud and puffed up to be a member of this exalted club - women! - when it dawned on me that I had just read and enjoyed an entire section of a national magazine devoted to successful women. Had it been an article about successful men, would I have paid as much attention or spent as much time on it? Doubtful. I would have scanned it, picked out the few I thought were interesting or particularly cute and read their profiles. How is this different from African Americans enjoying a full month devoted to Black History every February?

It has always really gnawed at me that we have to even bring up race when we discuss history...why can't we learn about our forefathers and admire them not for their race but for their accomplishments? Isn't this a continuation of the "separate but equal" policy that civil rights icons fought - and sometimes died - for? Why must we devote so much media time and attention to "The greatest black athlete who ever lived" or "Great African American authors of the 20th century?" Why must there be separate entertainment channels on tv devoted exclusively to African Americans, or any other race for that matter?

Then it hit me. I just read an article - a series of articles, really - about women who have made a difference, and it made me proud. Why? Because I am a woman. We like to read about, hear about, and see that people LIKE US can do it - whatever "it" may mean to each of us. Kids in the black community want to read about and be proud of the African American leaders who have made history. Women want to have a tv channel that is devoted to them - Lifetime even has a tagline that proudly proclaims it's "Television for Women."

And that carries over into politics as well. It still amazes me that anyone who freely admitted they voted for Barack Obama because he has black skin would 1)make a choice on that alone and 2)admit that they had made a choice on that alone. But now I think I understand it a little more. Don't get me wrong - many people of all races voted for Barack Obama, and for reasons totally unrelated to race. But to those who say they voted for him because they wanted to see a black president in their lifetime, I say this: I apologize for judging you. You see, even though I look at the issues and try to educate myself before I make political decisions, I find myself realizing that I have on several occasions commented that I would like to see a woman president in my lifetime!

We all want to see people LIKE US become successful...blaze trails...do something that makes the world sit up and take notice. And that's ok. It's human instinct, and while it may not be a reason to make a critical decision, that instinct will kick in when you least expect it - and whether you want it to or not. Who's to say that one day down the road I won't find myself pulling a lever for a candidate for president because she is - well, a "she."

Maybe I don't know everything just yet. Maybe, just maybe, I have a few more things to learn - or perhaps to realize and acknowledge not about others but about myself.

Of course, now that I've brought up the whole presidential thing I must let you know that I still do not plan to vote for Barack Obama in 2012, and I hope that those who do will do so because they have carefully considered his stance on issues of importance to them. I for one am in Herman Cain's camp right now. But if a strong conservative-minded woman were to suddenly appear on the radar screen... :-)

Win the war, not the battle...

Of the many misconceptions about marketing, perhaps the biggest is that there's a simple magic formula that will bring customers to your door if you'll just throw enough money at it. Take this path and you might just market your way into bankruptcy - or at the very least waste precious time, money and other resources.

When you set up shop as an entrepreneur, know that there will be no shortage of people who tell you that they know a surefire way to get the word out about your new venture. Some of these folks may be friends, acquaintances or family members who mean well but are unfamiliar with your product or service and its market niche. Some may be slick salesmen who show up at the very moment you're lamenting the lack of traffic in your location to tell you that their media vehicle is exactly what you need to get customers lined up at your door. Don't let either of these groups - however well intentioned - convince you to make a knee-jerk reaction and invest precious resources before you have carefully researched your options and put together a plan.

Truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all marketing plan for your company. What works for the guy who owns the title pawn shop down the street won't likely work for your upscale women's clothing boutique. The title pawn shop will most likely be strategically located in an area where all it may need is a large sign promising quick cash for car titles. The women's clothing boutique will need a more sophisticated and targeted approach to reach its intended audience. In that same vein, magnetic business cards are a great idea for the local pizza delivery guys, but won't likely put money in the pockets of the local dry cleaners - unless, of course, they also offer home delivery or pickup.

There are three main components to devising a marketing plan:

1. Know your product. I know, that sounds ridiculous - you KNOW what you're selling, right? You may know that you're selling purple widgets, but that's not enough - far from it. You need to know everything there is to know about your product or service - how people use it; what benefits they derive from it; where else they can get it if not from you...the list goes on. This is the foundation on which your marketing plan - and your very business - is built. Much more on this in later posts. Suffice it to say for now that just knowing the name and general features of the product or service you sell is not enough - not even close.  
2. Determine exactly what your marketing budget is before you make ANY decisions about how to spend it. Making even small marketing or advertising expenditures is a bad idea without knowing how much you have to spend - it can add up quickly. It's akin to buying your Christmas gifts without determining beforehand how much you have to spend...even if you only spend $25 here and $30 there, soon you may discover you've spent way more than you can afford to and you've only purchased half the gifts you intended to buy. [Wise entrepreneurs may choose to spend 5-10% of their gross sales on marketing and advertising their first year, with the dollar amount staying the same for the second and third years but being a smaller percentage of sales.  For example, a company forecasting $100,000 in first year sales may decide to spend $10,000 on marketing and advertising during that period. The second year, they may stick to the $10,000 dollar amount, but that amount may then be only 7.5% of their gross sales since hopefully their sales have increased due to the first year's marketing efforts.]
3. Before you spend the first dollar of your marketing budget, you must know your target audience. Money spent to reach prospects before you know exactly to whom you are selling might just as well be thrown out the window. Carefully consider who you want to reach with your message before determining how to reach them. A magazine ad that can be had for 90% off the regular price may sound enticing, but if that magazine doesn't reach your target audience it doesn't matter what you paid for it - you paid too much. Find out what your customers read, where they shop, where they live, etc - you need not invest a lot of money to accomplish this...I will be posting later this week about how to get this information without making costly market research investments to do so.

Know that a good marketing plan is neither developed nor implemented overnight. Businesses that jump into things too quickly may initially enjoy some measure of success, but that may very well be due more to luck than a good solid plan. Taking the time to carefully weigh your options and making your decisions accordingly may make the difference between winning the battle or winning the war.