How to Go ALL IN on Your Marketing

His first version of Amazing Grace was very good.

But then the workshop leader suggested a new scenario to help take the song to a whole new level:

“Imagine you were greeting your uncle after he just got out of jail.”

 The next version of the song was stunning and got a standing ovation and tears from the audience.

In the first version he did a great job, but in the second version he went ALL IN.

Really amazing, right? (From Michael Jr's BreakTime)

In your marketing, you need to start going ALL IN if you really want to attract more of your ideal clients.

I recently spoke with a client about giving talks to professional groups. I knew he had a valuable message that they’d respond well to. But he was only speaking sporadically and not putting much effort into getting booked.

“If you want to get booked for more talks, you need to go ALL IN,” I told him. “You need to work at getting booked for talks as if your whole business depended on it - because it does!” 

These days there’s more competition for getting booked than ever before. Independent professionals need a powerful talk, a great speakers kit and a system for contacting professional groups. And they need to implement this with never-say-die persistence. Anything else will get mediocre results. 

By the end of our meeting my client was was on board and ALL IN.

What does it really mean to go ALL IN on something, in your marketing, your business, and your life?

First, what does it mean NOT to go ALL IN? We are all much more familiar with that behavior.

It’s when we hedge our bets, play it safe, second guess ourselves, and hold back from making a full commitment.

It’s when we give in to fears and doubts, thinking our plans won’t work or will take too much time and effort.

And it’s when we simply don’t create an intention, a plan, or a strategy to start taking action steps towards our goals.

Finally, it’s when we tell ourselves that we’ll start later when we know more, when we have more time and energy, or when inspiration strikes.

Yes, we are all masters of NOT going ALL IN.

Going ALL IN means jumping into the unknown without knowing exactly what will happen or whether it will work or not.

That singer belted out a first version of Amazing Grace that was pretty great.

But when the workshop leader changed the context, the song was delivered at a whole new ALL IN level.

He didn’t pause and say, “wait a minute, I’m not sure I’m ready for that; let me rehearse for an hour or two, let me think about whether or not I can do it.”

No, empowered by the new context, he just launched into it and blew the room away.

So what are three big secrets to going ALL IN?

The first secret is not trying to do the opposite of all those things where we’re NOT going ALL IN (as I outlined above).

That’s too many things to think about, and it can be easy to get lost in the details, the process, and worrying about doing things right.

The second secret is that we need to shift the context that shapes what we do, the actions that we take, the marketing strategies that we engage in 

The third secret is that we shift the context by finding the BIG WHY of doing whatever we do. 

When the singer first sang, his only WHY was to sing the best that he could.

But when the WHY shifted to singing in celebration of his uncle getting out of jail, the song was transformed - without struggle or effort.

When you have the right WHY for doing anything, the details take care of themselves.

This is true even if you don’t have a clue about where to start or what to do.

When your WHY is clear, what to do, how to do it, the plan, the strategy, the timing, and everything else, tend to work themselves out.

And yes, it usually takes time and energy and work. But when a powerful WHY is inspiring you, guiding you, there’s a flow and ease to it all.

That’s why marketing has always come easy to me. It’s not my talent, but the fact that I have a powerful WHY. Whenever I lose sight of that WHY, my marketing suffers.

Want to find the WHY for successfully marketing your professional services? 

Revisit the reasons you went out on your own in the first place.

Was it for independence and freedom, or making a real difference, or even making more money? It doesn’t matter, as long as that WHY was authentic, something that was truly important to you.

Now create a narrative around that WHY that might look something like this:

“I’m going to give talks to professional groups to attract more clients (that’s the WHAT, now followed by the WHY). 

“My talk will inspire my audience to take action that will change their lives forever and motivate them to ask me for support in realizing their dreams.” 

Ultimately you have to discover your WHY, remember your WHY, and commit to living your WHY.

When you do, your marketing will become a whole lot easier, fun and effective. You’ll be singing your own version of Amazing Grace and the audience response will blow you away (no matter what marketing you do).

What is your own WHY for your business and your marketing?

Please share it with us in the comments section of the blog. Doing so may be the first step in getting clear about your WHY which can ultimately shift the whole context of your marketing.

In other words, I’m inviting you to take that first step in going ALL IN in your marketing.

Cheers, Robert

Robert Middleton writes the More Clients ezine and blog at Action Plan Marketing (actionplan.club) where, for more than 20 years, he’s shared ideas and insights about attracting more great clients with less struggle and effort. Join his list and get the free e-book, 8 Proven Strategies to Jumpstart your Marketing Genius.

This article was originally published on the More Clients Blog.