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Day 19: Question Obstacles
Yesterday, I had a conversation with a yoga teacher who was having a problem making progress on her goal of getting a website. Every time she started to take a step, another step would arise that needed to be addressed. It was one step forward and two back.
Here’s what she was up against. The association she belongs to offers a discount through a website company. But she did not like any of the free templates available. Before she could set up a website, she needed to find a company that produced layouts she liked, or try and find a website designer to create it from scratch.
Then there was the problem of a logo. She didn’t have one. So before she could set up a website, she needed a logo and a tagline. Well, now she needed to find a graphic designer who would work within her budget to design a logo. Or could she design it herself? Or find a template logo design?
She looked at my Mindful Marketing website and wanted to know what decisions I had made, which of course wasn’t a fair comparison. I’ve been developing that site for years while she’s just starting.
All those decisions and comparisons stopped her dead in her tracks. What seemed like an achievable goal of starting up a small website suddenly seemed complicated, expensive and way too much like hard work.
There is a simple way to address the viral growth of projects to keep them manageable, however. It’s called inquiry. Question each obstacle that prevents clear-cut action.
Let’s take a closer look at the website example. Is it true that you need to first pick a design when developing a website? Absolutely not. In fact, that’s the backward way of doing it. One of the first steps is developing the content – the components of the site and what you are going to convey to your audience. This is the longest step, and only you can do it. Well, I suppose you could hire a writer to do that step, but you’d miss out on all the fun of agonizing over expressing your work through the written word!
Sit down and put pen to paper. Write your content first. Design of the site follows content. Or, as they say in architecture, form follows function.
So, the first problem of a layout can be discarded. It’s premature. At this point, there’s no reason to tackle it or allow mental space for the debate. Later, yes, it will need to be addressed. And by then you’ll find it easier because you’ll know what the message is – and your content flow will help you when making design decisions.
How about the second obstacle – the logo? Do you need a logo to put up a website? Is it the first step? Is it a necessity? Nope. You can do a very thorough job of a top-quality website without a logo. Maybe in the future you may decide you want a logo, but right now, if it is in the way of getting your website up and running, don’t have one.
Here are some questions to ask those pesky obstacles that are getting in your way:
Can I accomplish the goal without it?
Is that the first step?
Remember, you are never done with your marketing (see Day 2: Done (For Now) for more on that subject), so make progress on your goal and all the other steps will come when the time is right.
Take the Challenge:
- 21-Day Yoga Marketing Challenge (overview)
- Day 18: Do Not Force It
- Day 19: Question Obstacles
- Day 20: Actions Add to the Bottom Line
[tags]Megan McDonough, training the trainer program, yoga business, business marketing consultant, 21-day yoga marketing challenge[/tags]
