How Marketing And Puppies Are Alike

At first glance, this might seem like a bit of a stretch – that a puppy and marketing could possibly have anything in common, but with some further thought and contemplation, you will see raising a puppy into a good dog takes many of the same skills and talents that good marketing does. 

First, let’s start with the basics.  Discipline!  Everyone knows that puppies have no discipline.  They are wild, they run around like crazy, get into everything, chew things, they jump, they tinkle (and worse) on your floor, they want to play all the time, and the list goes on and on. 

They clearly need some discipline.  And, after a puppy has had some discipline, over time, he becomes an obedient canine who is a joy to be around (not that he wasn’t a ton of fun when he was a puppy, he was). 

By the way, when I say “discipline” I just mean some loving corrections done consistently over time.  Patience is required, but we’ll get to that later. 

So, like your puppy, your marketing certainly needs discipline.  You consistently and constantly have to be tending to it, caring for it, watching over it, and making sure you’re getting the results you want from it. 

 Next, is flexibility.  Boy, will a new addition like a puppy give you a whole new perspective on flexibility because having a new little one around is sure going to throw your schedule off and make you be flexible – whether you want to be or not.  

We talk all the time about making a marketing plan.  Plan your work, and work your plan.  It’s good advice too because without a plan, or a road map, you don’t know where you’re going, let alone how you’re going to get there. 

That being said, you can’t be so set on sticking with your plan that you lose the ability to think on your feet.  See, a good marketer has a plan and then strategically measures and adapts their plan based on your results.  Remaining flexible allows you to do just that. 

Sometimes if the marketing didn’t work, you throw it out and start fresh with a new one.  (Of course, you can’t do that with the puppy – once you make the commitment to love him, it’s forever!). 

After flexibility comes consistency.  It’s important that you are consistently marketing.  It’s not something you can do for a while and then stop for a while, start again, stop, etc. 

Consistency is really something you have to be aware of in all areas of your business . . . it’s important in regards to your brand, in your operations, with your staff, and in your marketing as well. 

And, the need for consistency with a puppy, well, that seems like a no-brainer, huh?  If you aren’t consistent with the puppy will get confused and not know how he’s supposed to act, your clients will react the same way. 

Oh, yes, I said we’d come back to patience earlier didn’t I?  

You have to be patient and persistent with your puppy so he learns what’s acceptable and appropriate behavior and you have to do it whether he listens or not.  Time after time after time, you have to persist so the puppy begins to understand. 

The same is true with your marketing.  You have to have patience to see what works and what doesn’t. And, on the rare occasion when something doesn’t work, you have to be willing to try something else, to go back and re-work your headline, your offer, or maybe even your entire marketing campaign. 

If you’re doing the right things and you persist, it always pays off. 

Failure always happens if you give up, if you throw in the towel, if you decide my business is different and this stuff doesn’t work in my field, or with my clients. 

Next is FUN! Well, if you’ve ever watched a puppy play, you know they’re all about fun. And, I don’t know how you can’t have fun just being around a puppy – they’re so cute, they’re happy and always glad to see you, and every experience is new for them.  A puppy just has fun written all over them. 

Your marketing should be fun too.  If you’re tired and boring and it’s the same-old-same-old every time you communicate with your clients and prospects, well, people just aren’t going to want to do business with you.

Everybody wants to have more fun – especially in today’s world where everything is so serious and people sometimes get stuck in the doom and gloom.  

When you’re there to provide them a little pop, a little fun, a little razzle-dazzle, make them laugh and have some fun, well, they’re going to have fun, and you’re going to stick out a little more in their minds, because you provided them something different. 

Now, I’m not talking about doing things that don’t have a business purpose or that are silly just for the sake of being silly (that’s what you have the puppy for – he can provide that kind of fun and silliness).  I’m talking about fun things like writing an article about how puppies and marketing are alike, or having a contest with a big prize winner, or a costume contest for your clients, or anything else you can think of.  Maybe even a cutest dog photo contest or something like that.  Who knows! Be creative!  Have some fun! 

After all, we all need to lighten up a little, don’t we? And, our clients like to have fun as much as we do. 

If you can combine all these things together:

•     Discipline
•     Patience
•     Flexibility
•     Consistency
•    Persistence
•    FUN!

then, not only will your marketing and your business be more pleasurable and successful, but your life will be also! 

And, if you have a puppy, or an animal of any kind, and you practice these things, you should have great animals that you can have fun with and enjoy. 

The really smart ones amongst us will figure out a way to use their animals in their marketing – after all, people buy from people they know, like and trust and what brings people together more than animals . . . especially if they’re cute! 

Good marketing – and have FUN! 

For more great marketing & business strategies and your free CD “The 9 Key Building Blocks To Building Your Business” go to http://www.completemarketingsystems.com/ or call (866) 293-0589.