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What's With The Puppet?
"What's with the puppet?" JoLou asked me last month. "Do you have any feedback to support the use of the puppet in gaining you more credibility and, ultimately, business? In other words, is this marketing gimmick working?"
This is a great question. After all, you probably wouldn't see a puppet in an IBM or Proctor & Gamble advertisement.
I started using puppets in my Business Plan workshops. Many participants in the workshops became paralyzed by fear when they began to figure out their numbers: do an income and expense forecast, and figure out their pricing or how many clients they needed to be profitable. The Puppet lightened things up for these people. Laughing at a purple puppet with orange hair somehow helped them get through the tasks that had previously overwhelmed them.
I also used the puppets to teach the concept of the saboteur: the voice in your head that tells you that you can't do It, whatever "it" is. When people would start to whine or try to make a case that they couldn't do what I was asking, I got out the purple demon puppet to signal that the saboteur was in the house. There's nothing the saboteur loathes more than being laughed at; the purple demon puppet exorcised the saboteur every time.
These are all the rational reasons I use puppets. The real reason is that they make me laugh. Using puppets in my work also matches my personality. When you think about hiring me as a coach, consciously or unconsciously you know that I will bring eccentricity and humor to the coaching, as well as encourage you to bring your full self to your business.
Running your own business can be stressful, scary, and challenging; and demanding of your time, energy, and money. I take a picture of one of my puppets and me every month for this newsletter to remind us all to laugh and not take everything too seriously.
I hope the Puppet makes you laugh too, and gives you permission to fully be yourself in your business.
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| Tip of the Month
There's movement afoot--not to mention a massive yearning on the part of your customers and prospects--for authenticity in business.
Take yourself out to a coffee again this month and ask yourself these questions:
1. Is there a part of me that I am hiding, which I would like to give a voice to in my business?
2. Would giving voice to this part of me help my perfect customers connect to me more easily?
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