Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Its unlikely you'll do the wrong thing. You may find something that doesn't work-- and you'll get that feedback very quickly. So you'll learn and change. It may take a few tries to find the right words to express what you are marketing. Give yourself that time -- and its ok to get a few scrapes along the way.

Leap into the abyss-- you may just find you will land in a feather bed. That doesn't mean be wreckless and risky. It means move forward. Now go yell Geronimo-- which is defined as an exclamation use to express exhilaration when leaping from a great height.

Phil's response really isn't that negative. Glean from his advice-- its imperative to be lazar sharp and target those who don't see spending $ on wellness seminars as discretionary. I don't consider my healthclub membership as optional. If I want my 56 year old body to fit in the same size 0 clothes I have had from my 30's, I run my 3 miles on the elliptical there-- and weight train. My old bones do not like running on the pavement anymore-- but even when they did-- I have had a club membership since my first real job (and paycheck). I figure I have a big investment in clothes to protect!! What other choice do I have?? Somethings working -- I have only been hospitalized twice in my life-- to have 2 babies.

You can see the trend in health insurance to be proactive about health. Its good business, cause healthy people don't have health insurance claims. Think how Kaiser promotes this. Look at the trend for green healthy buildings-- and quantitative studies on how healthy buildings cut sick time even improve student grades. Companies who want same results will want wellness seminars. I dated a doc who lost his medical license doing something stupid-- ignoring his own mental health issues. He does seminars on dealing with and promotes removing the stigma of mental health. He teaches the police how to deal with someone having these issues.

There are so many places you can go with this. It won't be easy, but anything worth while never is.

Phil-- I understand the frustration. I deal with them too. People who are sure they have what it takes to start a business. But they don't think it through, don't have a plan, and even if they do-- don't execute the plan.

I almost laughed out loud at a potential client-- who came to me and said "my phone isn't ringing, what do I do". I wanted to say "poke it"? Taking no responsibility for creating the sale. The thinking was build a website- for some silly get rich affiliate program, and the phone would magically start ringing. Its the "Field of Dreams" mentality-- "build it and they will come". And they lose their investment-- it's sad, especially since-- if they thought it through, taken the time to plan-- it would have all been avoided.

Start by talking with people in your community that you know who are your target audience for advice. What would make them interested in your services TODAY? What do they know about your competition? You need to better understand how they perceive your offering and then figure out how to make them care about it.