Hit a Marketing Roadblock? Here’s How to Get Unstuck and Back on Track!

We’ve all been there. Even if you’re just getting started and you’ve hit the skids coming right out of the gate, know that you’re not alone. Even the most high-falutin’ 7 figure entrepreneurs have run into the infamous “marketing roadblock”.

If you’re wondering right now if that’s what’s going on with you, it probably is. In my experience, there are four main reasons coaches and experts get stuck. So let’s take a look at them one at a time, to see what it takes to get through it and get going on your business again:

1.    You know what you need to do, but you procrastinate endlessly. Everything else gets done: you’ve organized your sock drawer, scrubbed every hard to reach corner of your shower with a toothbrush, and answered all your emails: including the ones lost in your spam folder from six months ago.

What’s hiding behind procrastination is fear: Fear of being rejected, fear of failure and possible humiliation, fear that you’re not good enough, and even fear of success and the responsibility that goes with it.

The solution is to face your fears head on. Don’t resist them, and don’t wallow in them. Acknowledge them, validate them, allow them to be there, and then remember who you are.

Think of all the reasons why you are good enough: all of your talents and successes, all of your accomplishments, and all of the reasons you wanted to do this in the first place. All of the great things that you know are true about you. Go back and read testimonials from clients if you have them.

And then create a plan, and take the first baby step. Continue to acknowledge your fears and remember your strengths as you take it one step at a time. And remember, there is no failure, only feedback. Use the feedback to make corrections and then keep going.

2.    Life just keeps getting in the way. You have so many priorities, and by the time you’re done with them, there’s little or no time left for marketing.

This is often just another version of procrastination, so review #1 carefully. Be sure to be honest with yourself. Even if you aren’t up to admitting it to anyone else yet, admit it to yourself.

If it really is all of those other life priorities that are in the way, then you need to review your commitment to your business. If building your business is so far down on the list that you often don’t get to the marketing, then maybe it really isn’t as important to you as you think it is. Or, if you’re going through a crisis that puts other priorities up on the list, take a short break to handle it and then come back to your business ready to market up a storm.

If your hard look reveals that your business really is important to you, then put your marketing first. Every day, set aside a window of time to do your marketing, then move on to the rest of your busy day.

 3.    You know where you want to end up, but you’re missing a section of road: you don’t know what to do next in order to get there.

I thought hard about this one, looking for some solution other than the obvious: Get a marketing coach. But there just isn’t one.

The fastest way to fill in your road is to find a marketing coach that you feel a connection with, that specializes in helping people just like you. Even if you’re on a limited budget, get what help you can when you can, and come back for more when you can. It’s the best investment you’ll ever make in your business.

4.    Everything you’ve tried hasn’t worked, and you’re discouraged. You’re beginning to wonder if you just aren’t cut out for this.

Owning a business is not for the faint of heart: It takes courage, commitment, and hard work. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it!

Yes, there are those few who are successful right away.

But if you pull back the curtain behind most successful entrepreneurs, particularly coaches, you’ll discover that many of them had plenty of dark moments, myself included.

The difference is, we didn’t give up. Take a short break? Yes. Alter course? Sometimes. But give up? Never.

Part of being successful is learning how to navigate those dark nights of fear and doubt so you make it to the other side.

If you’ve tried these tips and are still feeling stuck, consider hiring a marketing coach. There’s nothing like having a coach to help you get past the blocks, jumpstart your creativity, and hold you accountable for just getting it done!