WORK IN PROGRESS
(Life, Me, You, This Newsletter)
Vol. VI, Issue 1, January 1, 2002 ><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>><<>>
In this issue:
Personal::::Dealing with fearful anticipation
Business::::Marketing comes second... or third
Recommended reading:
::::Fearless Living: Live Without Excuses and Love
Without Regret
::::The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do to
Dominate the Decade
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DEALING WITH FEARFUL ANTICIPATION
All of us have something that we fear. We have to face
events that raise our anxiety level and that we would
rather avoid. Perhaps it is a job interview, perhaps a
visit to the dentist. Maybe something medical, or a
face-to-face discussion about personal relationships
which, you anticipate, will be painful. Perhaps an
occasion approaches when you will need to admit to
wrong-doing, or to failure.
I am not referring here to generalized anxiety, or to
phobias, both of which call for therapy. I am looking at
the normal events of our lives that arouse feelings of fear
for one reason or another.
For some people, the response can be so strong that
they allow their lives to fall apart around them, becoming
paralyzed and unable to handle even routine tasks. This
can damage their credibility with colleagues of family.
Even more destructively, others may choose to avoid the
event by literally running away, at least short-term, or by
creating some type of crisis that will give them a reason
for not being wherever they would otherwise encounter
the fear-trigger. Some may combine the two by use of
mind-altering drugs that enable a mental running-away
while also triggering some form of crisis. Others may be
fearful, but seem to be less strongly affected, though
they may feel as though alligators are chewing up their
insides.
The first thing to remember is that there is nothing wrong
with being afraid. Heroes do it all the time. What
distinguishes some from others is what we DO about the
fear.
Psychology textbooks delight in charts that illustrate the
way that fear of a specific event or object tends to
increase as that something gets closer, so we know that
unless we determinedly deal with it it is unlikely to get
better until the event is behind us. In the meantime, if
unchecked, the fear may grow like an approaching black
cloud.
Different techniques may work differently for different
people, but some of the possibilities are information-
seeking, fear of the alternative, leap-frogging, and
distraction.
Information seeking, wise in regard to anything about
which you have strong feelings, involves seeking out all
the reliable information you can about the topic.
Perhaps your fears are ill-founded. Perhaps you can
find reassurance from accounts by others of similar
experiences. One word of warning, however, is that on
the internet you can find an incredible mish-mash of
correct and incorrect information, fear-mongering, urban
legends and superbly accurate, scientific information.
Be sure that you check careful the source of whatever
you find out there on the web. In some cases, you may
find it wiser to seek out local, well-accredited experts
from whom to seek your information.
Another form of information-seeking is to clarify for
yourself what are the alternatives, what will happen if you
do not proceed with your feared encounter. Do you risk
long-term negative effects? Will you be triggering
something that can come around and attack you in an
even more menacing way sometime in the future? Just
as a child would rather avoid the prick of a needle that
conveys immunity to a far more serious illness, it is
sometimes difficult for an adult to balance lesser
short-term pain against longer-term problems that may
be far greater.
Another technique for dealing with the steadily
approaching event is to mentally leap-frog over it. Thus,
if you fear a visit to the hospital, once it is only a week
away, which is about the time your fear may start to
increase, you can start to tell yourself "In a week's time,
it will be over." A few days later, "In four days' time, it
will be over." "This time tomorrow, it will be over." Thus,
you focus your mind not on the event, but on the feeling
of having the event done with and behind you. In a way,
this may be a form of distraction. Distraction allows us to
find something to think about that is so intense, or so
fascinating, that we are able to put the thought of the
event out of our mind. Of course, some might say that
this is as much a form of running away as the more
destructive techniques mentioned earlier. But in this
case they do not serve to avoid the event, they simply
keep our minds elsewhere during the intervening time.
Next time you face a specific something that you fear, try
to step back and observe how you handle the feelings. It
is okay to be afraid. It is okay to acknowledge it, to talk
about it. It is probably not wise to let it take over your
life, for, in fact, you can find a time in the future when it
will be over.
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MARKETING COMES SECOND... or maybe third
Whoa! What kind of a strategy is this? Doesn't
everyone know that the marketing department is the
heart of the business? That without marketing there is
no income? No salaries? No profit? How, then, can
marketing be anything other than first?
Unfortunately, there are well-known corporations who
have seen their stock plunge due largely to an ongoing
pursuit of the "marketing comes first" philosophy. Over
the years, many "super-sales" people have tended to be
promoted to senior manager levels, and, excellent
business folks though they may be, if you have made
your way to the top by focusing on a particular area, it is
difficult to accept that it may no longer need to be the
primary area needing your attention.
In fact, before you can market, it is essential that you
know what you're marketing, and how it will fill a need for
your potential customers. It has become trite among
sales-motivators to announce, "You're not selling steak,
you're selling the sizzle! You're not selling awnings,
you're selling shade." Most marketers know this, but
some find it difficult to DO it. Yet, as you set out to
market your product, your service, or even yourself
(more on that later) it is vital that you know how it will fill
the needs of your prospects. It is essential that you do
what you can to fit your product/service to the needs of
each prospect, for what Joe Smith needs from you may
be very different from what Fred Brown needs.
Yes, this should be old news, yet it is still forgotten.
This came vividly to my attention recently as I explored
local suppliers in a search for a new computer. One
business lost the possibility of receiving my business
simply because the sales person did not listen, did not
ask questions, but decided within moments what product
he should sell me. No matter that it had bells and
whistles I did not want, did not need, and had no
intention of paying for. No matter... no, I won't make this
a laundry list of complaints. The company that will get
my business is the one that was as concerned that I not
buy too many bells and whistles as that I not buy too few.
It is where the sales person asked questions about my
needs, listened to my description of my computer use,
and clearly HEARD my answers for 15-20 minutes before
even beginning to consider what he would recommend.
I am just one person, buying just one computer. Yet,
every person who whom you are trying to sell is just one
person. No matter that the decision will be made by a
team--each person in that team is one person. Each one
has his/her own view of what the company needs. It is
vital for you, if you hope to sell your product, or your
service, that you get an idea of what those people see as
their needs, how they expect that your product will help
them, both their corporation and each of them as
individuals. When you truly HEAR them, you will see
what you have to offer through their eyes, and you will
know which bell, which whistle, will be useful and which
should be discarded. That is how you gain credibility,
not by touting the benefits before you know the needs.
So, yes, marketing comes third. First come knowledge of
your prospective customer's needs. Second comes
knowledge of how your offering can meet those needs.
Only when you know this can you start to market with
integrity.
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RELATED READING
Fearless Living : Live Without Excuses and Love Without
Regret by Rhonda Britten
"What Rhonda reveals and teaches is what every
survivor has learned. Whether you are a Marine,
recovering addict, fighting a major illness or dealing with
a significant physical or emotional loss you have a
choice. You can learn from the pain and have it become
your teacher or continue to suffer. For those who haven't
been truly educated and prepared for life I suggest
reading Fearless Living. However, if you prefer to wait
for a personal disaster in order to collect material for
your own book be my guest. Take it from me learning
from the wisdom of others is the wise and easy way. I
know." (Bernie Siegel, MD, Author Love, Medicine &
Miracles and Prescriptions For Living)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0525945792/personalandcareeA/002-8534146-380480
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do to Dominate
the Decade by Michael Hammer
"Michael Hammer sets out an ambitious plan for righting
what many businesses are doing wrong, much as he did
a decade ago in his best-selling "Reengineering the
Corporation." This time, however, he retreats from the
overarching "big idea" promulgated in his earlier book to
present a system that incorporates nine ideas geared for
an environment where customers really do rule.
For more information, click on
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0609609661/personalandcareeA/002-8534146-380480
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Copyright 2001 Diana Robinson, Ph.D. Work in
Progress may be reproduced in its entirety only,
including this copyright line. Disclaimer -The contents
herein are solely the opinions of Work in Progress
owner, and should not be considered as a form of
therapy nor advice. There is no guarantee of validity or
accuracy. If expert assistance or counseling is needed,
services of a competent professional should be sought.
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