About a year ago I was at a networking meeting. The moderator polled the group of some 35 people, asking them to write on a piece of paper what they know they needed to do for their business that they hadn’t been doing.
More than three quarters of the answers were “Marketing.”
It floored me. I offered to look at any marketing pieces they came up with for free… or to write their copy for them at a seriously-discounted rate because they were fellow networkers.
Two–count ’em–TWO!–people took me up on the offer. Both of them were MLM folks whose marketing was taken care of by someone else, so what they had was passable. Nothing spectacular, though, or terribly compelling. The copy was clear, spelled right, and grammatically correct. It was pleasant and proper. It was not powerful.
No one else had any marketing materials–or if they did, they were half sheets of hastily-typed announcements about specific upcoming events that they wanted others to attend. They had business cards. Some had websites. Most of the copy I saw was anemic and sub-standard.
I can’t–and don’t–twist arms. The vast majority of people that I do write for recommend me to others but, most of the time, I rarely hear from the people they try to send my way.
It’s enough to make me want to retire. Seriously!
Why in heaven’s name are so many of the small business owners and entrepreneurs I’ve met so freaking aimless? Or are they just so freaking broke that they can’t afford a copywriter who knows how to turn browsers into buyers?
Until they get off the dime, they will always struggle.
I’m just flabbergasted as to why they’d overlook enlisting others who can help their businesses grow! It’s like leaving piles of hundred dollar bills lying on the floor and not picking them up…
What’s stopping them from engaging? Can anyone offer any hints?
In Other News…
A new Face 2 Face group debuted in Spanaway at noon today. Four people showed up; a lot of others RSVP’d their apologies; they all had other commitments this week but say they’ll engage next week.
They really missed out. The four of us had a whee of a time. We talked politics–and found out we’re all pretty much on the same page in that realm. That helped us establish fond bonds fast. I don’t suppose that particular conversation will happen again when more people show up, but it’s good to know that the core group isn’t diametrically opposed to one another’s views and opinions, as is the case in some of the other networking groups I attend on a regular basis. It feels great to hang with kindred spirits whose hearts reach beyond their own circumstances and families to encompass the homeless, veterans, and other under-served populations.
