It had to happen. Yes, it’s the inevitable post about the recession and the economy and business and ZOMG what WILL we ever do?
I’ve seen a lot of marketers lately preying on your fears that you will lose what you’ve worked so hard to build if the economy worsens. To help you get some sense of security back, all you have to do is buy this earth-shattering instant online automagic money-making cash program. The riches will come rolling in and you’ll be safe sitting on piles of cash. When people start to worry and get scared, the notion of making quick, easy money online becomes more appealing. Bloggers are more likely to encounter these kinds of sales messages
People fall for this, unfortunately. But if you’re scared (and many are), you’re not thinking clearly. Pitches that would be a stretch in the believability department even on the worst of days seem to be plausible when you’re desperate. Ask yourself: if there were no recession or economic turmoil right now, would I really consider this program?
At the risk of inflaming your anxiety, if you’re in this fearful position right now, it’s too late for you. Yeah, I know, that doesn’t sound very encouraging, but look: if you haven’t been making the right moves up to this point, some kind of desperation play isn’t likely to succeed, either. You don’t need an emergency version of a bad decision-making process. You need a new and better decision-making process.
You may have noticed over the past couple weeks I’ve mentioned having a good blog plan. If you are engaged in blog marketing or blog monetization, your blog plan is a big chunk of your business plan. You’ve got to move forward with a deliberate strategy that gets you where you want to be. But you can’t do that unless you know where you want to be.
If you had a good blog plan, the economy would not be such a worry to you. It’s not much of a worry for me. I have been following my plan. My plan will put me in a good position to thrive or at least weather just about anything… eventually. Since I’m still carrying it out, there is always the possibility that unfortunate world events might rush forward faster than expected.
I’m not rich, but I’m not panicking, either. Eventually, my family and I are going to be living on a farm in Vermont, with a woodlot and a fantastic garden. Until then, all the milestones are loosely mapped out (there’s room for flexibility). That’s not some pie-in-the-sky dream, that’s part of my plan.
So… here’s the problem. If you were so great at this, you’d be doing it right already. It might be you haven’t really thought about it and you haven’t tried to put together a blogging plan. But it also might be because you have issues that are getting your way. Personal, emotional issues. Everybody has them, including me. I’ve done pretty good in working through them and it’s helped open up the path to success for me. But I’ve always been dedicated to personal development and I have an awesome wife.
What I’m getting at is that you might need some help to put together a good plan. I know three people who might be able to help you:
Me
Helping bloggers figure out their game plan is what I do. That’s why it says blog consulting up there. You’re welcome to secure a little phone time with me so we can work together on getting you a kick-ass blogging plan that will help you no matter what the rest of the world does. Learn more about my blog consulting here.
Havi Brooks
Havi has a knack for getting people unstuck when personal issues are holding them back. She even has made up her own charming vocabulary for talking about this in a non-threatening way. She calls it destuckification. I have been reading Havi’s blog, following her on Twitter, and I know some of the people she’s helped, such as Pam Slim and Naomi Dunford, and she is the real deal. If you want something that isn’t like some kind of manly-man boot camp, Havi Brooks is the best destuckifier around. Check out her Emergency Calming Techniques program (there are bonuses and free samples).
Dave Navarro
Dave is what you could call a “rapid results coach”. In other words, Dave is way more than productivity or time management. Dave knows people. He knows what motivates people and what holds them back from being their best. Dave is also a friend of mine, and I recommend his What’s Holding YOU Back? book if you want hard-hitting kick-in-the-pants type stuff.
I’ve read this myself. This was shortly after I had begun to get to know Dave, and I was impressed as hell by his clear, unpretentious writing and solid advice. In fact, this was a long time ago, but I never wrote anything about it. Why? Because at that time, it didn’t seem like a good fit for you. But now, with economic turmoil, housing market disasters, joblessness, and other outside forces closing in, suddenly it seems very much like the right thing to recommend.
Don’t get me wrong–this is not a “panic” recommendation. Dave’s book does not promise instant riches, it gives you methods to help take your life back and be in control. Check it out here.
And stay tuned for more non-panicky stuff about blog planning and recession-proofing your blog marketing. In the meantime, be cool.