Calculated Risk #atozchallenge

Margaret Mahy book signing (Photo credit: Christchurch City Libraries)

           One of the biggest fears that people have about self-promotion is that of rejection.  Getting turned down and receiving negative feedback is not pleasant, but it's probably going to happen when you're putting yourself out there trying to get others interested in you or whatever you're trying to foist upon them.  In fact I can almost guarantee it.

             Put that rejection on your list of things that can possibly go wrong in your marketing endeavors.  It may sound like a glum approach to look at the negatives of a considered venture, but it's more realistic to factor minuses in with the pluses.  Letting your dreams drive you can lead to miserable failure.  It's far better to let the dreams inspire you and have a road map to show you the way with detour options if needed.

           Any marketing involves risk, but if you look at all of the possible outcomes then you have what is known as a calculated risk.  When you believe strongly in your dream it can be easy think up all the good things that can happen.  You get excited when you begin to consider the great prospects ahead of you.  This can be a disaster and disappointment waiting to happen.   High expectations can lead to a long fall to the bottom if things don't go according to the dream.

           Be sure to consider those bad things that you might encounter on your marketing journey.  List every negative that you can possibly think of and then come up with a contingency plan to deal with those negatives..   If you have all of your possibilities of failure covered then you are more likely to succeed and more accepting of the failure if that turns out to be the outcome.

           A failure should not be the despairing end for you, but just another learning experience on the road to success.    You can take a risk, but it's best if that risk is a calculated risk.

           Have you ever failed at something because your dreams were bigger than the realities?   Do you let negatives discourage you from pursuing your dreams?    What do you think is the best recipe for success?


 



   

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Bringing Home the Bacon #atozchallenge #IWSG

            At Tossing It Out the Blogging from A to Z Challenge got off to a crazy start with a Battle of the Bands post.   If you missed that one then I hope you'll go to the previous post and vote for your favorite song.   But that was yesterday and  yesterday's gone.   Today we have another double dose of blog craziness.
 







              Since it's the first Wednesday of the month it's also the day for the Insecure Writer's Support Group post.   This blog group is the invention of A to Z Co-host Alex J. Cavanaugh.   Each month a ton of insecure writers join to talk about what's on their minds and provide support for one another.  You can find the rest of the list at Alex's site.   After you read the following post of course...



Bringing Home the Bacon

       Bacon is probably one of the most popular food substances in the U.S.   I can understand why.  I love bacon!

          These days this idiom "bringing home the bacon" refers to bringing in a paycheck or to be successful at something. Isn't that what we want to achieve from our marketing efforts.  Our success usually depends on our willingness to work at selling ourselves and then ultimately selling whatever it is we are trying to sell.

          It's a scary proposition for most of us.  We might have to meet people and talk about ourselves and our products.   We might have to step out of our comfort zones.  If you're a writer that might mean you have to stop writing and reading long enough to pound the pavement, make phone calls, or exert some marketing strategy.

         Bringing home the bacon ain't always pretty or easy, but it's a darn sight better than making the sausage.   And nobody wants to know what's in the sausage.

         Even if you've got a powerful PR machine behind you, there are some points in time when you have to get out on the marketing stage and do your act.  The elusive writer in seclusion may exist in some rare instances.  But most writers are going to be on their own and that probably includes you.

          Are you willing to work at promoting your products (your writing)?   Do you understand that selling books requires marketing effort exerted by somebody?   Do you like bacon?

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Act Naturally (Battle of the Bands) #atozchallenge

            Welcome to Tossing It Out for Day one of the Blogging for A to Z April Challenge.   If you want to know more about the Challenge you can visit the A to Z Blog.   Also, a regularly scheduled event on this blog every 1st and 15th of the month is the Battle of the Bands.  So in this post you get a double whammy conveniently tied together with a common thread.  More on the Battle after the first marketing concept.   My A to Z Theme for 2014 is Marketing Concepts from A to Z.

Act Naturally

         Unless it's part of the role you're playing, no one cares much for a phony.  You can play a part like Pee Wee Herman or the band members of Kiss if that's your shtick, but when it comes to serious marketing efforts playing the buffoon can only go so far.

          We've all encountered the sleazy salesman who may even come across as completely sincere, but once we feel duped then we lose confidence and don't go back to that person.  Some public figures may come across as haughty, unapproachable, or condescending.  If you're trying to make inroads with someone whether it be a potential customer or someone you want to go out with on a date, if you sell yourself, your brand, or your product in a genuine manner you're going to make your prospect a lot more receptive to what you have to say.

          Nervous?  Shy?  Afraid?   Don't worry--those are natural feelings that most of us share and they can work in your favor in many cases.  Just be yourself.  Act naturally.  Eventually you'll get used to being out there before the public and self-confidence may become part of your natural persona.  It might take some practice so be persistent.

Battle of the Bands:   Act Naturally

         The Battle of the Bands posts spotlight two versions of the same song.  You the reader pick your favorite version and let us know in the comments which version you chose and why.  At the end of this post you'll find a list of other bloggers who have usually been participating.  If you'd like to start joining us let us know in the comments and we can add your link.

         "Act Naturally" is the obvious song pick for this Battle.   The song was first recorded by country artist Buck Owens in 1963.  It became Buck's first number one hit and catapulted him into stardom after toughing it out for many years in the music business.  Buck later co-hosted the popular television cornpone comedy show Hee Haw for a number of years.  Here's the song that made Buck Owens a star:

Buck Owens   "Act Naturally" (1963)



The Beatles "Act Naturally"  (1965)

          Once the Beatles had established themselves as teen idols they had personas developed for each of them.    Girls had their favorite Beatle and recognized each of the lads for their personas.   Ringo was the funny one.  Most Beatle albums had at least one song that featured Ringo and the song was typically a novelty type song.  In 1965, The Beatles' cover of  "Act Naturally" appeared on the B-side of the monster hit "Yesterday".   Here's The Beatles with Ringo Starr on vocals with "Act Naturally":



Time to Vote!

         Now it's up to you to vote for your favorite version of "Act Naturally" and tell why you preferred that version.  Let us know in the comments.  I'll announce which version won next Wednesday April 9th.  The next Battle of the Bands will be on Tuesday April 15th.

          Here are some other bloggers who may be participating in the Battle of the Bands:

         Faraway Series
         Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
         Your Daily Dose
         DiscConnected
            Donna Hole
            SteveIsHungry by Steve Foster, an old friend from Tennessee who travelled on a road show with me back in 1991.  Haven't seen him since then so it's good to see him show up now with a blog to join us in the A to Z Challenge and BOTB.  He's been blogging for several years and I never realized it until today.

         Do you have a difficult time acting naturally around people you don't know?   Can you think of a good time to put on a false front?    Do you feel betrayed or let down when you see a person you admire from a perspective of which you disapprove or with which you disagree?