How to stop wasting your time with marketing

Results ConceptDo you ever feel like you have a bit of a love/hate relationship with building your business?

I have to admit that I do!

On one hand I think that I have one of the best business-models that I can imagine. I can work from anywhere, I can teach information that I totally “geek out” on and I make a nice living doing it.

On the other hand, it can get VERY lonely if I let myself spend too much time in my office and all of the online distractions can get incredibly overwhelming.

Know the feeling?

That’s why I’m SO honored that you actually opened THIS email, because I know you are bombarded with distractions as well.

And the overwhelm is the main cause for spending too much time in my office and in front of the computer instead of getting out of the house and in front of other human beings.

I’ve been thinking a LOT about this lately and it brought me to an epiphany.

I’m totally over-analyzing what I should be doing to continue growing my business.

Here’s the deal. 90% or MORE of all of my business comes from a combination of just TWO things:

  1. Using the support of “Peer Endorsements” for attracting new folks to learn about what I do
  2. Selling my products and services through education-based marketing; namely WEBINARS

And that’s it!

I don’t spend money on advertising – although it wouldn’t hurt.

I don’t do a lot of speaking – although I would love to do more.

I don’t worry about SEO strategies – and I probably never will.

I don’t focus on Youtube video marketing – although I AM adding this to the mix in the near future.

But the reality is that my business does just fine with the simple 1-2 combination of having peers support my work by sending their folks to one of my webinars.

Sometimes this takes the shape of my participating in an expert interview series or giveaway, but it’s usually just having a friend or colleague email their folks about one of my webinars.

It’s pretty likely that this is exactly how YOU first learned about me.

It’s so simple that I’ve actually been trying to make it more complex. Does that sound insane? It probably is just a bit nuts to honest, but if you ask my wife she would admit that she didn’t marry me for my sanity 😉

If it ain’t broke, don’t FIX IT.

That doesn’t mean that I can’t add other marketing strategies to the mix and that certainly doesn’t mean that my “1-2 combo” is the exact marketing mix that YOU should be using.

I’d love for you to save time, energy and frustration by focusing on a simple plan that will work for YOU.

If you’re still looking for your 1-2 combo, post a comment below and let me know where you are with your business.  Maybe I can help!

If you DO have your 1-2 combo, I’d love to know what’s working for you.

And if you’d like me to share more information about my “peer-endorsement to webinar” 1-2 combo then post a big “HELL yeah” in the comments area. If I see enough of them I will get to work on some more info for you.

Cheers,
Tom

P.S. A “HECK yeah” will do too 😉

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Leave a Reply 31 comments

Jessica - August 24, 2014 Reply

Hi, Tom:

Thanks for the really great post! I’ve been grappling with a few things lately (I was recently advised that “There is little value in too much knowledge.”) Currently overwhelmed and extremely exhausted, too.

I love what you come up with – this gives me a good place to start with the next phase of my biz.

Please keep me on your mailing list! Even though I don’t always respond (you’re right – I get waaaaay too much email!), I always look forward to reading what you have to say about things. Practical advice!

    Tom Buford - August 25, 2014 Reply

    Hey Jessica,

    Thanks. I’m going to have to remember that quote: “There is little value in too much knowledge.” LOVE it.

    I really appreciate that you’ve been choosing my emails over many others that you could be reading.

    Cheers,
    Tom

Kathy Bowen - August 24, 2014 Reply

Hi Tom – I have met you through Michael Bloom and at an ICFNE conference where you were a speaker .
I can’t say how much the above advise helped me to calm down and continue on the path that I am on. Thank you for taking the time to share your insights

KKB

    Tom Buford - August 25, 2014 Reply

    My pleasure, Kathy. Michael Bloom is awesome, isn’t he?

Kelle Sparta - August 24, 2014 Reply

I’m a transformational shaman specializing in helping people step into their personal power. I’ve just rebranded to include the sexual empowerment work that I do and I was beginning to focus specifically on women’s sexual empowerment, but I’m finding that men are coming out of the woodwork in response to my posts about sexuality, spirituality, and personal power. So I’m sitting with that fact now and trying to figure out how to build a more inclusive brand. I’ve been getting the majority of my business in the past from converting clients out of my free energy scans but this takes a lot of time and my current mailing list has too little in the way of disposable income for that to be a good time to conversion ratio. I’m exploring YouTube now and have been putting out videos that are getting great response. All of this is to say that I’m discovering what my 1-2 punch is right now. But when I had it working well in the earlier version of my business I had the same problem you did. It was too easy. I tried to make it harder than it had to be. I’m longing for the “too easy” time again….

Jennifer Vance - August 24, 2014 Reply

Hi Tom
thanks for this confirmation… I realized the other day that I get in overwhelm about all the ways to market, and don’t know which to choose or where’s best to begin. It all sounds good and I’m sure it works, but I have to find a beginning and stick with that for now.

So I decided to stick with your info, and maybe 1 or 2 others, but I need simplicity.

Heck yeah…would love to hear your simple business plan.
Thanks for all you do
Jennifer

    Tom Buford - August 25, 2014 Reply

    Hey Jennifer,

    You’re welcome. Thanks for commenting.

    Yes, most strategies will work great…but only if you use them well!

    I heard someone say that he discovered the BEST workout routine for weight loss. It’s the one that you will do! It all works, but if you have resistance and don’t move forward consistently then the best strategy in the world won’t deliver any results.

    Hmm…I think there’s a new article in here somewhere 😉

Dawn - August 24, 2014 Reply

Hell, Yeah!

I sell a magic shampoo I invented in the back room of my salon in 1976 for people with scalp issues, but believe that the people who seek me out are clients, not customers. Coming from the beauty biz, I do much consulting… repairing one’s scalp and hair goes deeper than just the surface of the head… and have spent chunks of my life teaching/educating/edutaining in the professional personal care industry.

Since I am re-inventing my biz and life for various sundry reasons and think that you just might have seem sound wisdom for me I am checking with the “hell yeah”

Thanx, Tom..

Gary Pool - August 24, 2014 Reply

Sounds great!

mary choo - August 24, 2014 Reply

Hi Tom
yes I’d be interested in how to approach peers to ask them to consider endorsing what i do . Is that what you call affiliate marketing ?
Thanks
Mary Choo
(I am signed up for your profitable online courses course)

Esther - August 24, 2014 Reply

heck yeah! 🙂

Liesel - August 24, 2014 Reply

Lovely post, Tom, and I can identify with a lot! I can also get myself pretty lonely sometimes by spending too much time by the laptop. One of the reasons I love Facebook! I have wonderful deep connections there.
I love your simple plan. Yes please for more on the webinars!

sal - August 24, 2014 Reply

Heck yeah!

Debra - August 24, 2014 Reply

Makes sense. Would love to hear more.

Sue Anne Dunlevie - August 24, 2014 Reply

I would love to hear more about the webinar thing, Tom. I’m just starting to add them to my repertory in the fall.

I do agree that keep things simple also works for me!
Sue

Antreina - August 24, 2014 Reply

HELL yeah! Correction….

Tim Johnson - August 24, 2014 Reply

Good puts Tom. Jv partners and webinars model sound like an ideal model. Look forward to learning what you have in mind

Robyn MacKillop - August 24, 2014 Reply

Heck Yeah!

Chuck - August 24, 2014 Reply

Oh, yeah! Let’s go for it

Peggy McAloon - August 24, 2014 Reply

Heck yeah! I have come to a similar place with all the media and trust my instinct that far too much effort and too many hours are being spent. I am taking 3 weeks off starting in September and hope to come back with a brand new 1-2 punch!

J.Q. Rose - August 25, 2014 Reply

Heavens, Yes!

Erin Donley - August 25, 2014 Reply

YES, PLEASE!

Barbara - August 25, 2014 Reply

As a writer with four books, I’ve already done all the things that are supposed to generate sales so, now, I’ve let it go. There has to be an easy way, not all this ‘Do this’ & ‘Do that’ jargon.
Thanks for your insight.

Gerri - August 26, 2014 Reply

Hi Tom

Thank you for that!

Suffering from marketing overwhelm can paralyse one to the extent that nothing gets done. As Barbara says, too many advocating, you MUST do this and MUST do that, full of jargon etc. Too many emails, (I always read yours Tom!)

I just try to remember – Keep it Simple and take Action

JAN WEEL - August 30, 2014 Reply

HECK YEAH! VERY INTERESTED IN HEARING MORE. THANKS A LOT FOR THE TIPS RE. OVERWHELM.

Julie Saillant - April 22, 2015 Reply

Hi Tom,
I just stumbled upon your website today and am finding that your tips are really helpful. I have finished updating my website and have my first product ready to go. I have no list and would like to engage other people to do teleseminars with me in which I will host – that way we can all help each other. But my question is how do I find affiliates who would be interested in offering my coaching course? I am working with Clickbank but so far they have not been favorable in giving me the three green light- I really need affiliates because I would like to ramp up quickly. Any help you can give me would be awesome!
Thanks for all the info you put out there – it is super easy and helpful. (Sometimes I get lost in a sea of how many “guru’s” are out – too much info) Julie

Virginia Reeves - July 22, 2016 Reply

Heck, yeah – more on webinars and getting peers to promote.
I want to move from just publishing my series of eBooks into something bigger.

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