My focus is always on marketing and sales, so when I began to consider some of the most powerful negative traits, I naturally thought about the seven basic opponents of highly effective marketing. It also occurred to me that most shop owners and managers could market their businesses very easily if they didn't have to deal with these powerful opponents.

 

Without a Powerful Opponent, You Could Win Effortlessly

Some years ago, I had an opportunity to spectate at an ancient Scottish sport called "curling." It's played on the ice, so I doubt that it would be played frequently in California, but in northern Wisconsin where I grew up, winter sports of all sorts are in greater abundance.

Curling is a little like shuffle-board played on the ice, only with some interesting added elements. For one thing, after the large puck-like object (called a "curling stone") has been thrown strongly and launched on its way sailing along on the ice, the player skates along aside of it with a broom and sweeps away ice particles and other impediments that would cause friction and limit the distance the stone travels.

Watching that game made me think of launching a project in life. We all start out with a mighty thrust but once the project is started, almost immediately we begin to encounter obstacles along the way, and our momentum begins to diminish. I thought how great it would be to have a magic broom to skate along side of each project and sweep away the obstacles and friction. If we could do that, we could effortlessly reach every goal that we set.

To gain a victory, first identify the enemy

It occurred to me that we may already have that "magic broom." But we don't see it and use it because we often don't clearly recognize the obstacles and opponents that need to be swept aside to maintain our forward momentum. By identifying these impediments exactly, we have a better chance of getting them out of our way!

It has been my experience that the following seven "opponents" are the ones that most often prevent effective marketing. Take a look at them and see if disarming some of these "opponents" would open up a clear field for you to develop more, or more profitable, business.

Lethargy (Inertia): It actually means "drowsiness," "indifference," or "apathy." Inertia is the tendency of a body to remain at rest (or in motion) unless acted upon by an outside force. In general use, it has come to mean "resistance to movement or change." Shop owners stuck in a state of "lethargy" can be readily recognized by the complaining they do about how bad business is. (They're kind of like a dog sitting on a cactus and howling with pain, but too lazy to get off of it.)

Conservatism: "Compulsively cautious, tending to oppose risk and change." You can easily recognize a compulsively conservative shop owner. A typical statement you will hear is "I can't afford to spend money on marketing right now. I'll be able to spend some later when business is better." (What's that you say??? The entire PURPOSE of marketing is to increase business!)

Skepticism: "A doubting, questioning or pessimistic attitude." A typical remark by a skeptical shop owner might be: "Even if I did spend money on advertising or a marketing person, I probably wouldn't recover my costs." (With that attitude, he's probably right!)

Blind Optimism: "A disposition to emphasize the most positive aspects of a situation." From this guy you will hear: "This is just an off-season. If we wait a bit, things will get better. They always have." (Oh yeah--I wouldn't bet on it!)

Procrastination: "To put of until a later time. To defer or delay." A large majority of shop owners fall in this category. They will tell you, "I plan to launch a marketing program, but I'm just too busy right now."FF20(Busy with more work than you can handle? No need for more business? I don't think so!)

Provincialism: "Limited and narrow in perspective." You can spot one of these guys right away. They'll tell you, "I'm already running an ad in the Yellow Pages, and doing what most other shops are doing. What more can I do?" (There isn't enough room here to answer that question in full. Inquire about my book, "Top 40 Marketing Tactics for Body Shops" to see what else could be done).

Impatience: "Unwilling to wait or tolerate delay. Requiring instant gratification." This is one of the seven deadly sins. A shop owner will say: "I ran an ad for a couple of months and nothing happened." (Most ads aren't even noticed until after the third time they're run).

Now, are you ready to beat the seven opponents standing in the way of growing your business?

Lethargy or Inertia Counter-Strategy:

Lethargy and inertia often occur when there is uncertainty about which way to go. Like a driver who comes to an unexpected fork in the road that isn't on the map, a lethargic person may sit there until someone comes along and tells him which of the forks to choose to get where he wants to go.

Generally we only do that which we understand. This "stopped" condition, is an unspoken message that more understanding and information is needed. It's time to take a closer look at what marketing options you can put into practice. What is your available budget? What marketing efforts have worked for you in the past, even if only a little? What marketing tactics have worked for other shops in your area? How much do you think they spent? What is an affordable starting point for you?