Having a book published by a reputable publisher has been a
lifelong dream for me. I've thought about it since I was a little girl, and
often when in the bookstore I would stand in front of the business section and
picture a book with my name emblazoned on its cover.
It was a beautiful thing when I met my wonderful literary
agent John Willig in 2008 who wanted to represent me, and it was even more thrilling later in the year when he
called to say that Career Press from New Jersey made an offer and wanted to
officially publish my marketing book. Not only that, they wanted to fast-track the project, and
I would have just four months to write the book. I didn't care what the demands
were. I had finally arrived with my book deal, and I was loving life.
The offer came just about the time that Hurricane Ike was
approaching the Gulf Coast, headed straight for Houston. And on the day of my inaugural conversation with my new agent and new publisher, I signed off with, "Thank you Gentlemen. Now I have to evacuate because a big bad
Hurricane is headed right toward my house."
It was about two weeks later before life resembled any sort of
normalcy for me, and then it was time to get back to business and to start
organizing and writing my new, soon-to-be-officially-published book. I worked
dilgently, but holiday season came quickly. It seemed I had interruption
after interruption from my writing. Finally, with a deadline of January 31, 2009, looming, I knew it was time for drastic measures. So, in December, I cut ties
with small customers and put the stops on the larger ones. I declared official hiding for the entire month of January to completely dedicate myself to finishing my book. Nothing would be allowed in unless there was serious bloodshed. My husband, children, clients, and everyone knew it.
I finished my manuscript and the second I left it with FedEx,
I felt like I had delivered my third child. The feeling of accomplishment was
surreal. I was exhilarated, on an adrenaline high--and my brain was completely
fried.
The next day I devoted myself to returning calls and
letting my world know that I had come out of seclusion.
The day after that, I panicked.
I realized that the necessary halt on my business to achieve
one of my lifelong goals had left Sonnier Marketing with no cash flow and no
immediate business. My company was empty, at the starting gate, and a completely clean sheet of paper. No immediate
projects. No immediate receivables.
As the brilliant Charles Dickens said in his classic Tale
of Two Cities, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. I had
just accomplished something so important and meaningful to me. I had achieved a
lifelong goal. But, in the process, I had brought my marketing practice of 14 years to a complete halt.
And payroll was due in three days.
I started sweating. My business had not been a been a blank
sheet of paper since it first opened in 1995. There was always business. There
were always pending projects and accounts receivables. Now I was lost and
scared, and a bit ashamed because I was, after all, the practical marketing
expert. How could a marketing expert find herself with no business?
The truth is that when your marketing momentum slows down
for any reason, whether its a big project or a down economy, you will suffer. I
had practically closed my business while I finished my book, and that meant
that my marketing had come to an almost complete stop.
The good news is that I am the eternal optimist. In fact, I
think to be a great marketer, you have to be. You have to see the glass as half
full even when it is completely empty. You also have to be a believer--at least
for a while until you finally see how the marketing model works. I've been
around this rodeo enough times to know that hard work and smart moves are always
rewarded, and that the more I do, the stronger my momentum. I know that, as long as I maintain that momentum, I can
weather any storm. Constant marketing builds on yesterday's successes, delivers
results today, and gets the market primed for tomorrow's return.
That's why I smile and cringe
when a business owner gets excited that a great prospect “called out of the
blue,” almost as if my magic. The truth is that they were just finally reaping the
results of their previous marketing efforts. The faster you turn the marketing
machine, the quicker and more often it delivers you a golden egg. It doesnt take
a PhD to know that, but it does take consitent marketing to achieve that.
So back to my blank white sheet of paper.
I was sharing my worries with a friend Sandy Lawrence,
another marketing maven, and she said, “Well, Lauron, you know that an artist
doesn't create on a dirty canvas. An artist creates on a bright, clean, white
canvas.”
I loved that, and Sandy was right! It was time for me to
create. It was time for me to "stir the pot" in my own business and do everything
I had just written about to teach others to do. So I pulled out my pen and
paper and started outlining my goals with strategies and specific action plans.
I picked up the phone, sent some emails, and reached out to people to let them
know I was ready to serve. I starting asking for the order and expected to
receive it. I considered what would make the greatest impact right then and I
decided it was time to start my monthly marketing workshops. I placed an ad in the Houston Business Journal, worked up an ezine for my database, updated my
website, and started spreading the word. I stirred awarness, emotions,
mindfulness, conviction, and word-of-mouth just like I teach in my book.
In a matter of just two days, I had a
new attitude and a flurry of activity. I also had three customers ready to give me
money. Payroll wasn't a problem after all.
I have relied on the marketing methods I teach in my book, seminars, keynotes, radio show, and everywhere else for the entire life of my company, and except for maybe the day I opened, I
have never needed them more than after I was at an all-time high in my career. I was encountering the worst of times, but strong marketing got me back on a productive path.
My hope is that this story will inspire you to crank up your marketing machine stronger than ever. We must never underestimate the power of momentum, and never let ourmarketing slip for one minute. "Best of times" and surviving "the worst of times" most assuredly comes down to marketing. Marketing is always, always your lifeline. So think like a marketer and keep stirring!
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