So today I want to take a slight detour. Instead of sharing a specific insight on marketing with you, I want to share a secret for becoming a better marketer. It’s a tool I use all the time that will give you a ton more clarity into everything that you do.
I’m sharing it with you now because it will make what I shared with you in my last two posts much easier to do. It will help you nail down your “revelation story” so you can deliver that AhHa! moment to your prospects. And it will help you get inside their heads by getting inside your own. It’ll help you do it faster that just about anything else.
And the best part is, it’ll only cost you two bucks! (If that!)
Meet Your “Marketing Journal”
If you know me at all, you know I’m a huge proponent of keeping a journal. And I don’t mean a “Dear Diary” kind of thing.
I’m talking about a massively powerful tool that will let you unlock your greatest potential, your greatest ideas, and unleash them on your market.
Journaling is nothing more than thinking on paper. And if you don’t keep one I HIGHLY recommend you start. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.
I do all my journaling in Clairefontaine cloth bound journals that I buy for about $13 each. (I’m not recommending them, but people always ask me what kind of journal I write in.) I like them because they’re big and roomy and really durable. But you don’t need anything like that to get started. Any old $2 notebook from Walmart or Target will do the job.
Pick one up. Write “My Marketing Journal” on the cover in big letters. And you’re ready to go.
Journaling Your Way Inside Your Prospects’ Heads
Now, in your last post I told you how critical it is to get into the conversation in your prospects’ heads. And that the fastest way to uncover that conversation is by examining your own struggles and drives.
That’s true. But…
The problem is most people don’t have a clue about what’s going on inside their own heads. They’re excellent at rationalizing their behavior. But they never stop and think about what’s really driving it.
If you never stop and think about that, if you never dig deep into your own psyche to figure that out, then you never get to the nitty-gritty of what drives you to buy things. And if you can’t figure out YOU – someone you should know better than anyone – you’re going to have a helluva time figuring out what’s going on inside your prospects’ minds.
That’s where keeping a journal comes in real handy.
The Results Of Journaling Are Astounding
In addition to all the feedback on the free reports I’ve written, I’ve gotten tons of compliments about my BGS webinar. (Imagine… getting complimented for your marketing!)
By far, one of the most common compliments I get is people tell me they felt like I was standing “looking over their shoulder”. That I really understood the frustrations, the struggles and the confusion they were dealing with. At times even better than they understood it themselves.
That kind of marketplace response is a direct function of the fact that I had been through those same situations myself. And more importantly, that I journaled all about them giving me a much greater amount of insight into my own – and therefore my market’s – feelings.
Until you can get a handle on your own internal struggles and drives, you’ll never be able to really get in touch with your prospect.
What To Journal To Uncover All This
Now I’m going to recommend a couple ways to get good at the whole journaling process. What you want to focus on, where my last two posts go, are the feelings and emotions that you struggle with doing anything. And the moment of the big revelation when the clouds finally parted and you saw whatever light you saw.
The first thing to do is to start journaling about your thoughts, your emotions, your feelings, your frustrations in general. But then also keep track of them in specific situations, like when you’re thinking about making some kind of purchase.
When you’re thinking about making a purchase or you’ve suddenly got a huge urge to buy something, just take a step back and get clear about what’s really going on below the surface. Then write it down in your journal. What specifically sparked that urge. What did you feel? How did it feel? What went on in your head? Did you try to object? (These are just a couple quick questions to get you started. Jot down everything you can think of.)
The second thing I’d recommend is that you think back on three big specific purchases that you’ve recently made.
Think about what was going on inside you emotionally when you made each of them. What was really driving you to make that purchase? I’m not talking about your rationalizations after you purchased. But rather what the strong emotions and desires that you were feeling in the moment. What fears you might have struggled with. What you hoped would be true after you made the purchase, what you hoped would happen and so on. What flipped on the “revelation switch” in your head? (Try writing it in a “story” format and see how it sounds.)
And I’d do that for three major purchases or three major investments that you’ve made in the last couple months. Really think through what was driving your behavior.
This is so critical to really spend some time on because the better you get at this, the better your marketing skills will become. And the better your marketing skills, the more you’ll sell and the faster your business will grow.
Ahem… But Wait, There’s More
Using a journal isn’t limited to just these two exercises. Your journal should be a major part of your marketing process.
Anytime you see an interesting marketing idea anywhere online, make a note of it in your journal. What did it make you think and feel. Why were you compelled to click the link.
Did you come across some really killer copy somewhere? Print it out and paste it in your journal. Keep it as a swipe and parse through it noting the areas that really hit home with you.
Been through a powerful marketing funnel recently? De-construct it in your journal. Draw out your flow charts. Brainstorm headlines.
Make it an interactive, multi-media tool!
I’m telling you the possibilities for what keeping a marketing journal can do for you are unlimited.
So get out to the store today and pick yourself up a notebook or two and get started building one of the greatest marketing resources you’ll ever have.
I’ll be back here next week to tell you about a very subtle technique. One most marketers never think about. But it’s one that has incredible persuasive power. Be sure you don’t miss it!