7 Ways to Screw Your Marketing Career Right Now!

Nothing stays the same, ever. That laptop you bought last year is now the slowest one on the market. That full head of hair you had in college seems to be a lot thinner, and God forbid, is showing some gray too. Well, we knew it was coming, change that is, because it always does. And the shift we’re in the midst of now in Marketing is the biggest change since the Industrial Revolution. So it’s up to you. Do you want to screw your career for good or would you rather prosper?

If you answered, “Yes, I’d like to screw my career please!” then:

1. DO: Stand Pat and Resist.
   DON’T: Evolve. No one cares whether you keep up or not; they’re focused on themselves. We’re in the biggest shift in a couple of hundred years so it’s not a luxury to evolve and learn everyday. Read and stay on top of relevant blogs for instance. Why? They’re quick, to the point, and immediacy equals relevance. Coffee and the WSJ because that’s your habit? If your clients never pick up the WSJ, you’re drifting closer to losing them. The WSJ isn’t going to tell you why your consumers don’t like your product or clients don’t like your services; blogs will. Evolve or be killed.
2. DO: Cocoon at home with your Wii.
   DON’T: Expand Your ‘Real’ Reach. If you feel like you’re one call away from losing your clients or job, then guess what Sporto, you probably are. You can’t afford not to be out there networking your ass off. But keep the plaid jacket in the closet because it’s gotta be genuine…people would rather know what you do really well as opposed to “Yeah, we do all of that”, and your eye starts twitching like crazy. Marketing has no finish line. You don’t “arrive” and suddenly not need a solid, expanding network of contacts. So start building it again, it’s your new resume.
3. DO: Be a Hungry Hungry Hippo.
   DON’T: Give before you get. Think about it, there is no organism out there called “the marketplace”. There isn’t a big faceless pool of clients waiting for you to dip your net and collect them. What’s out there is just people like you and me. And if you’re doing your Gordon Gecko impression and just taking, taking, taking, then you’re teetering on the edge and it’s a long way down with no net. In case you haven’t heard, the old standby of ‘giving before you get’ is the way to success in this new age. Go figure.
4. DO: Drone on about features, benefits and facts.
   DON’T: Tell Amazing (and True) Stories. You, your brand, your business, all have a story. Hopefully it’s freakin’ amazing…find out why, make sure it’s authentic and tell that story in the most interesting way you can. If it’s worth repeating, your clients and consumers will take care of spreading the word. Let’s face it, you’ve got to stand out and everyone loves a good story.
5. DO: Be a digital hermit, Herman.
   DON’T: Be Promiscuous (Digitally Speaking).  Get involved, get personal. Yes, on the surface the Web seems to keep people at arm’s length but the paradox is that it’s more important than ever to be REAL. Getting kicked out of a social network for selling at the wrong time, i.e. before meeting, greeting, participating, building a foundation, is a death knell. Good ideas continue to be refined over time, and social media is no exception. Facebook may not exist in 5 years, but it’s refinement will. Social media is not going away so how are you going to develop your personal brand?
6. DO: Play it safe.
   DON’T: Play the game of risk. If you’re asking yourself whether you should do something that feels risky, it’s a good sign that you’re waking from your slumber. If it’s legal, go for it. The man with the balls to take the chance is the one who wins. And if it doesn’t work, then you’ve had good practice at updating your thinking to match the environment. Congratulations, you are now: John Q. Public, Version 2.0.
7. DO: Let your pilot light go out.
   DON’T: Light Your Fire. Jim Morrison had his time, now it’s yours. And I mean, NOW, like this minute, not tomorrow because you feel tired from your over-40 flag football game yesterday. If you’re not passionate about what you do, you will run out of gas, and won’t be able to stay motivated to evolve as needed. Now is precisely the time. Find out what life you really want and go after it. You’re going to work hard for the next twenty or thirty years either way. Figure it out or get an expert to help, but do it now.

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