Most business ideas I hear from mental health professionals sound perfectly plausible. And while some of those ideas would benefit from specific marketing advice (e.g., clarifying business scope, identifying appropriate marketing channels, communicating a clear and compelling message, optimizing market reach), my experience tells me all of that is window dressing.
Sometimes the questions people ask themselves are the wrong one’s at the wrong time.
“Is this new idea based on something I’m passionate about?” Now that’s a much better question. Don’t start by being practical, start by giving space to ideas that energize you. Your commitment to these ideals will bring about a level of genuiness and depth that cannot be replicated.
Take a look at this short video clip by Gary Vaynerchuck. I think he offers viewers some excellent advice. My favorite: “…people don’t recognize that they have to go that low and wait that long.”
Don’t start from the premise of monetizing something. Start from your gut. One of the amazing things about markets today is the ability to have a voice – a powerful voice. You have numerous options where you can share your expertise with others. And when that expertise is the result of your passion for the subject matter it will find a place if you stay committed to the process. Win in that arena, and you pave the way for even bigger opportunities.
A few years ago, a man named Chris Anderson wrote an excellent book called The Long Tail. Chris’s book introduces readers to the power and importance of niche markets. He argues that almost all of the growth today exists when you aren’t like most people. In most cases, the narrower the niche the better.
Take a look at Liana Lowenstein. She’s a therapist who enjoys working with children and their families. More specifically, she enjoys finding new and innovative ways to help children. This has resulted in extensive research and the production of several books on therapeutic exercises and creative interventions for children. Liana plays to her interests, and as a result, she has become an original. Her efforts are paying off tremendously with an online following of 7,000 strong, a booming practice and the creation of her own publishing company that empowers her to continue spreading her message.
“Is there a market for your idea?” If it’s something you love then you’re much closer to answering the question. Your next step is to get out there and share the message. Commit to a process not for the hope of hitting pay dirt, but because you believe in your message.
There are so many under-served markets out there that are not satisfied with what is being offered. Why not serve them and see what happens?
At nine years old I received my first marketing lesson and experienced the power of a deliciously outrageous story.
“Can you believe Mikey’s dead?” A concerned young girl shouted to a group of friends. “It was Pop Rocks! He ate Pop Rocks, drank a soda and his stomach exploded.”
Mikey, of course, was the infamous young child from the Life Cereal commercials. And in a blink of an eye it seemed the entire world now knew his tragic end. In the weeks that followed I could not pass a child or teenager without hearing that our beloved Pop Rocks candy, when combined with a carbonated beverage, created a deadly reaction that would cause a person’s stomach to explode.
The story blanketed a country in a matter of days with little to no effort. There were no dollars invested in spreading the message. There was no Madison Avenue advertising campaign behind its success. And yet, this complete and utter myth was a runaway train.
My first marketing lesson taught me that not all messages are created equal. There are very real and dramatic differences.
For fun, let’s compare the Pop Rocks story with the thousands of other messages I received in school at that time. What experiences do I still hold onto from my fourth grade experience? Not many I’m afraid. The Pop Rocks story? It’s as if I were transported back in time. I experience the emotions, sights, smells and sounds of those moments. The story and the experience come to me in full color.
So what makes an idea, concept, or service stick while others disappear in spite of our best intentions? Part of the answer lies in identifying the common characteristics found in those messages that earn our attention.
Will Baum is a true collaborator, and last week he spoke with me via email as part of a continuing series of practice consultant interviews.Read the Interview Here.
But this is not the end of his story. Will is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Los Angeles, CA with a passion for helping people in crisis and an interest in bettering the profession by sharing with others. His efforts have not gone unnoticed and have led to several partnership opportunities (like this one!) where colleagues are more than happy to promote his services.
Will has identified numerous ways to share his experiences and expertise with others. For example, he is a contributor to PsychologyToday.com and the Huffington Post where he writes about strategies for living happily in L.A.
I highly recommend you take a look at his online magazine focusing on building a private practice (www.wheretheclientis.com). You’ll find information and resources from a wide variety of professionals in the field.
In the late 1800’s, economist Vilfredo Pareto posited a law of income distribution that would later bear his name: Pareto’s Law. Today, in its more generalized form, the law states that 80% of the consequences stem from 20% of the causes. Research over the years has shown this law to be proven in almost any setting. Let’s take a closer look at a variation of the law as it applies to results and productivity.
80% of your positive results come from 20% of your time and effort.
Pareto’s law, as stated above, asks us to rethink how we spend our time to achieve whatever outcomes we define. Applying this principle can help you and I maximize our potential by eliminating inefficiency, multiplying our strengths and outsourcing activities that free us up to focus on those 20% activities that produce the best results.
It turns out that lifestyle redesign is a great business development tool and discipline!
Like you, I am faced with daily challenges that build into a never-ending to-do list. I have a slew of grandiose ideas and goals I am looking to accomplish but sometimes, I look ahead and there is simply no time to address them appropriately.
By eliminating “unnecessary” activities and choosing to outsource others I have improved my productivity immensely while reducing the amount of work I do in the process.
Which leads me to an interesting resource I believe can help you achieve your goals – Virtual Assistants.
In 1990, a young man named Geoffrey Canada, returned home to Harlem on a mission. His goal – to “end the cycle of poverty in Harlem by transforming all aspects of children’s lives”. Most would say it was an unrealistic goal rooted in naivete and bravado. But Mr. Canada, a man who had defied all the odds since early childhood, continued undeterred by his doubters.
He began his work by joining a well respected non-profit organization that offered a variety of programs for children and their families. Canada felt it was not enough. It was too “safe” of an approach to bring about the kind of sweeping change he desired. He reasoned that he could not reach his goal by addressing only a few “problem areas” at a time. Canada’s vision was to create an all encompassing program that targeted all areas. His proposed solution led to the creation of the Harlem Children’s Zone project. The project initially identified a specific 24-block area in Harlem where Canada and his team would create unparalleled programming and support services to include educational, social and medical services. This web of services would create a safety net so tightly woven that children in the neighborhood could not slip through. Today, this program targets a 100-block area and is on track to serve over 10,000 children by 2011.
Canada’s initial goal for the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) Project was just as bold and brazen as the creation of the project itself. The HCZ project defined success when 100% of the children in their designated area attended college. 100%?! Defintely not realistic. His vision was so intrepid and so “out there” that few believed it could be accomplished.
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
- Einstein
In the mid 1960’s, a lanky teenager named Dick Fosbury was working on his high jump technique with limited results. At that time, the “correct” method for high jumping was known as the straddle method. It’s an obvious technique whereby the jumper approaches the bar head on, kicks one foot up over the bar and then rolls over the bar face down. Fosbury tried and tried to perfect this technique but in the eyes of the high jumping world, he was a below average performer.
That is until Fosbury began wondering if there were other alternatives. He questioned the validity of the straddle jump, and started experimenting with a new approach he thought might be better. Why not use the laws of physics to one’s advantage and approach the bar backwards, twisting the hips in the process so that gravity would do the work for him? His new technique looked ridiculous to most but produced immediate results. Was it against the rules? Most people never even entertained the idea of a different technique simply because they assumed it must be. But Fosbury never assumed.
His performances caught the attention of college recruiters, and in 1965 the head coach for Oregon State decided to offer Fosbury a scholarship with a caveat. Although he jumped a personal best 6’7” to win the national juniors using his new method, the coach informed Fosbury he would need to stop experimenting with his new technique if he was to earn a spot on the roster. Maintaining the status quo was and still is a powerful force. Oregon State’s track and field coach wanted to end the nonsense and transform Fosbury into a “real high jumper – a straddler”.
