When I was growing up – actually, until only a couple of years ago – I really did not want anything to do with sales or marketing. First, I didn’t like asking people for anything, especially money! Second, I had several experiences watching sales and marketing people going about their business to make me raise an eyebrow and not want to be a part of it.
But then…
I wanted to share my knowledge gained while coaching others, while on my own self-growth journey, and while learning about leadership and team dynamics (i.e. the Q2 Leader blog). I was sharing one-on-one but there are only so many hours in the day and I believe I can come alongside more people by writing articles and sharing.
But to share I actually have to tell people about what I’m doing. And to have greater impact I have to make the articles known to like-minded people who aren’t familiar with the work.
And, that’s called marketing.
Ugh.
But then…
I came across podcasters who owned businesses that were all about marketing. Their approach is to help people get their message out to the world truthfully and with integrity. As I learned more, I realized this type of marketing was something I could sign up for and that would be useful.
I can present myself as me. I can represent what I do with integrity. I don’t have to “spin” anything or use click bait to get the message out. What I’ve learned is there are techniques that work better than others. (And it’s really interesting!)
But then…
While working my job as a ScrumMaster I found myself leaning on the marketing lessons I was learning. I started applying marketing techniques not to marketing a product or service, but to help me be more effective in my day-to-day role.
So not only was I applying marketing techniques to market my blog (and soon my first ever online challenge!) but in my role as ScrumMaster as well.
Applying marketing techniques to a role outside of marketing will be the focus of the next several blog posts. Topics will include building credibility, getting people to read your emails, and presenting ideas so people support them.
I’m excited to combine what I’m learning about marketing with everyday responsibilities to be more effective! I invite you to come along and explore with me. I believe with a few tweaks to how we present and approach our work we can all perform at a higher level and be more effective.
engineer your life
If you are like I was up until recently (and still am to some degree), you may have an aversion to marketing. I’ll ask that you keep your mind open on this topic because I’ve found there are some tidbits that are applicable to everyday that can really help us. And as always, I welcome your feedback on all the upcoming articles!