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Adrienne Zoble's Marketing Myth #37:
Something's got to give, so I'll drop my trade association memberships. 
   Why do I have to go to those meetings anyway, just to be with my competition?
    . AZA - TempHello, :

Because you never know whom you'll meet, what alliances you'll be able to create, how much new information you'll pick up, that's why.
 
And those reasons are just the tip of the iceberg.  Trade association memberships, various meetings and seminars are all marketing.  And marketing is about keeping your name out there.
 
Keeping your name out there - the #1 priority in your business.  You might counter by extolling the significance of a terrific staff, unique products and services, best-practices quality control, extraordinary customer service, other aspects of running a business; and, yes, they're all very important.
           
But they're all irrelevant without clients or customers.
 
Here's a test: let's see if I can identify at least one of your reasons for discontinuing memberships and meeting/seminar attendance.
 
  1. Cash flow is awful; you have to cut costs.
  2. You've been advised by colleagues and your accountant (maybe even family members) that your memberships are probably not doing much for you or your business, anyway.
  3. Outside meals are an unnecessary expense right now.
  4. You're in such a bad mood (depressed, scared, embittered) that you don't want to have to socialize.
  5. You're so frustrated with your attempts to generate business that the last thing you need right now is a speaker to give you impractical ideas.  What your business needs is more business, period.
  6. Your client list is bare-bones as it is; you don't need your competitors taking them away from under your nose.
How close was I?
  1. Now think about it.  You have major expenses in your business.  Dues, meetings and seminars are chump change in the overall scheme of things.  The last thing you should cut is your marketing.  Find some other place to cut, that won't jeopardize the longevity of your business.
  2. Call me on my toll-free number and prove you've gained nothing from the time you've spent in your associations.  Not one tidbit that helps you run your business more efficiently?  Not one contact who paid for a year's worth of dues and then some?  Perhaps you need to think a bit harder.
  3. When did you consider just showing up for meetings after the meal, so you could still benefit from the meeting content?  Nobody else will think twice about your missing the meal.  Don't be so self-conscious.
  4. Stop feeling sorry for yourself!  Take your mind off work and your troubles for a few hours.  Regenerate.
  5. Give your ego a rest.  You might just gain some excellent ideas from listening and sharing.  The speaker might well demonstrate that you don't have all the answers (or are you afraid to hear that?).
  6. Talk about territorial nonsense!  Nobody wants your clients.  They're too busy finding customers of their own.  Paranoia is dangerous stuff.
  In marketing there's a very important concept known as "positioning."  How are you positioned, compared to your competition?  What sets you apart?  When the going gets tough, the tough get going.  When others fall behind, the tough stand out by staying the course and forging ahead.  Are you a follower or a leader?
 
Now is not the time to sulk; now is the time to be out there, exuding confidence, believing in yourself!
 
There are new marketing options to absorb and new people to meet.  Your cutting back is less an outcome of no money or no time than the result of no priority, because you haven't given yourself a chance to explore the benefits of attending a good marketing seminar.  And maybe, just maybe, your attendance at association meetings has been sketchy at best.
 
Some are packing it in.  Let them.  Just be sure you stick around to reap the benefits to occur in less time than you can imagine.  Your business will thank you.
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Visit Adrienne Zoble's website at www.azobleassoc.com.  Her October 2009-December 2010 Schmoozing Calendarwill be out shortly, providing ideas for productive ways to build/maintain relationships and form alliances, so you can sell more in less time.   We're taking orders now:  $27.30 per cardstock, bound copies, including shipping; $16.95 per downloadable version.  For orders before October 15th, take $2.00 off each price.
 
            Within the month, you'll be able to purchase our updated workbook, "The Do-able Marketing Plan: Six Easy Steps to Help You Sell More in Less Time."  $67.45 including shipping.  Take advantage of the Calendar/Workbook combination (with free shipping) of just $83.00, a savings of $11.75!
 
             Perhaps your company or organization is looking for a dynamic speaker with immediately implementable and inexpensive marketing ideas; or you would like an article/column for your publication or newsletter. 
 
            Adrienne Zoble will help your company grow and thrive, even in these challenging times. 

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Adrienne Zoble Associates, Inc.                     azoble@azobleassoc.com
1060 Sailors Reef                                               www.azobleassoc.com
Fort Collins, Colorado 80525                                             970/282-1150
 
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