Think Progress, Not Perfection

Your marketing materials will never, ever be perfect. This may sound funny coming from me, the Marketing Materials Maven. However, this quest for perfection limits business growth and, in relation to your marketing materials, results in an outdated website without a compelling message.

rnConsider for a moment that this thirst for perfection is really a self-sabotaging way of hiding out. Think about it: when you’re fussing with your website, you’re not out there, sharing your message with the world. When you fuss about the design, you’re not presenting your work. You’re in your office, noodling on the computer and being the best-kept secret in you field.

rnWhat is important is to get your message out in the world and start testing it. Getting your materials in the hands of real clients, attending real workshops and really networking is a great way to see who is responding to your message. This allows you to hone your expertise as you practice taking a stand for your passion. Marketing is about taking your best guess—either through research or direct knowledge about your target market—and putting what you know out there like your life depends on it. Getting out of your own way and implementing this is the difference between those who have business and those who have an expensive hobby.

It’s also important to note that perfection is impossible when you are in a “Change Your Life” business. If you’re walking your talk, who you are and what you do naturally evolves. As you grow personally, you grow professionally. With each round of clients, you gain more experience, preferences and discover more powerful ways of practicing your modality. This type of business is a living, breathing thing and because of this constant evolution, it requires a flexible mind set in creating your marketing materials.

Now that’s not an excuse to avoid having marketing materials. You have to watch becoming overly identified with your creative nature. Such as changing your mind/schedule/programs every few weeks and believing that no one will ever be able to describe what you do. I look at my website everyday and I know it’s not perfect or exactly how I want. Yes, I make time to consistently make updates, but generally I leave it alone because despite its imperfections, it’s effective and that’s more important to me and my ability to pay my bills. And frankly, I, too, can get sucked into working on my marketing materials instead of doing what brings in the money.

Many of my clients come to me having tried to update their website for months, even years, without success. They got stuck on finding the perfect words and the perfect time to work on their website and, well, it never really happens. Part of the problem is focusing on perfection rather than on making progress. Another problem, conversely, is they are simply too close to their business to see what needs to be said clearly and powerfully. And lastly, marketing just isn’t what they do best. My clients, being smart, talented and wise decide to outsource these challenges and get their materials done so that they can channel their energy and focus on what they do best—working with clients, creating cool information products and teaching classes.

So, the next time you feel frozen around your marketing materials, think “making progress, not creating perfection.” Here are a few ways to do this:

1. If possible, hire a professional to do it for you. It’s much faster and creates better results.

2. If you’re a do-it-yourself type, do one thing at a time. For example, the sales letter, bio or programs. Pick out some examples of the page of your website you’d like to work on, print them out and start writing your version.

3. Give yourself permission to write badly. This makes it easier to get something down on paper. Then wait a day and go back with a fresh eye and open mind. Then send it to a professional editor to clean it up.