Maria Gamb
Yesterday, I had a wonderful conversation with Maria Gamb, author of Healing the Corporate World. I shared my unhappiness about my business structure. While I’m well versed in the matters of marketing (especially internet marketing), I feel as if I’m going through a reset that’s lasting a good year or more and I’m getting impatient with all this waiting.
God places certain people in my life at certain times and my conversation with Maria was no accident. She listened to me and after I finished she asked:
“In all that you shared with me, can you see what your role is on this earth?”
Defeated, I said no. She then said:
“You’re a catalyst for other catalysts.”
Yes, of course! That’s what Nancy Marmolejo helped me realize in SpotlightU. I’m a visionary, an influencer, a Brand Evangelist (check out SpotlightU for more).
As soon as I hung up the phone, I felt an overwhelming urge to remove things from my life that have been holding me back and cluttering up my perspective.
I started with my desk.
Oh how cluttered it was. An old monitor that I stopped using after I got my new laptop sat on one corner. A bunch of paper with my handwriting on it sat on another corner. A box filled with stuff was on my desk and anytime I typed my elbow bumped it. And oh my goodness, my desk was super dusty.
So, I cleaned, purged and discarded.
Next, I tackled my inbox.
It was time to unsubscribe from mailing lists of those who I’ve “outgrown.”
I struggled with the decision for just a bit because I had been on these marketer’s list for 3, 4 even 5 years. In that moment, I felt like I was being disloyal, or that I was going to miss out on what they’re going to do next. That I wouldn’t be able to say “Did you see what she/he did?” to my friends who also followed them.
But I’m a catalyst, a visionary, a thought leader. The lists that I have to unsubscribe from are those who are doing the same things over and over.
You know what I’m talking about…
- “You have 3-days before my sparkling encrusted mastermind club closes for good.” (at least for this year)
- “The 4-pay for my high-priced-you’re-just-a-transaction-lecture-style-can’t-ask-me-a-question-directly program ends tonight, midnight.” (and if I open the phone lines, I’ll only take questions from those in my 5 or 6-figure club)
- “If you don’t invest now, you really don’t love yourself and you need to show yourself love if you want to boost your biz.” (sorry to make you feel even more guilty about your life)
- “Here’s a video I made for you, please watch now” (and I didn’t take time to personalize it because I have 10,000 people on my list and I really have better things to do)
And so on…
This is what I call cog marketing. Using the same promotional tactics over and over. No innovation, nothing new, it’s all the same ol’ thing.
On the one hand, cog marketing serves the marketer well because they can use systems to create predictable outcomes. Scripts allow the marketer to copy & paste to save time. Following a step-by-step process allows the marketer to avoid costly mistakes. The cog churns and the marketer can get things out to market faster using a repeatable process.
I get that…
But as Chris points out in his blog post called Cogs, where the cog fails is when it affects human behaviour. He gives a wonderful example:
“I noticed that my local CVS drug store was suddenly very into using my name at the pharmacy. ‘Did you have any questions for the pharmacy, Mr. Brogan?’ ‘Welcome back, Mr. Brogan.’ That felt great until I saw a badge that said, ‘If we don’t say your name, we will give you $5.’ Pop.”
So, when I email some of the top internet marketers to let them know that I found a website that allows its members to freely share their copyrighted materials and get a response from their assistant, an auto-reply (or none at all), I sense the cog at work.
When I reach out to someone asking to interview them about their virtual event successes and get a canned reply saying thanks, but no thanks, the cog is working.
Or, when I get a pained (fake) smile from an internet marketer I’m able to finally shake hands with, I know deep down that in order for them to participate in my joint venture project, I had to be in their six figure mastermind club, the cog is rearing its ugly head.
And when everyone is still using emails, free webinars, free teleclasses to launch their information product, I sense another part of my creativity dying in the process.
It’s time to let go, empty the vessel and let the wheels of innovation take over.
What are some things we can do to avoid the cog marketing trap? Do share below…
