Fear. Everyone has it. It’s part of our biology, Sometimes it keeps us from doing things that are dangerous. Unfortunately, fear can also prevent us from doing things that are important to our survival. Those who win in life tend to have the ability to successfully overcome fear. Marketing is no different.
People resist making pitches, giving presentations, or writing proposals because they are afraid to lose. People avoid making sales calls or introducing themselves to others at events because they are afraid of rejection. People hold back on launching big new ideas because they are afraid of failing. People don’t write blog posts or news articles because they are afraid that people will criticize them. People let rude or poor performing employees continue doing what they do because they are afraid of confronting them. People neglect to ask customers for feedback because they are fearful about about what they might say. There are countless other examples that I could list, but the point is that fear causes us to act, or not act, against our best interests.
Fear is real. Fear is tough. Fear can kill your business. Fear does not go away, but it can be defeated. It just takes bravery. You have to realize that, as my friend Chris Brogan states, “you are the superhero you’ve been waiting for.” No one is going to help you overcome your fear. It is up to you to be brave and be brilliant, which carries its own set of risks. You have to understand that as an individual or an organization, letting fear paralyze you will lead to certain failure, while confronting fear with bravery leads to either success or deeper understanding. Doing nothing is a recipe for disaster. It may feel safe to keep your mouth shut, your head down, and check your courage at the door, but in today’s world it is a surefire way to find yourself in real danger.
Recognize your fear. Examine it. Then, kick its ass. Use the fear of extinction to overcome the fear of brilliance. Be passionate, vulnerable, and exceptional – or at least aspire to be. You may fail, but that does not make you a failure. You will learn, improve, and live to fight another day. Fear is just a sign that you are getting out of your comfort zone, which is a very good thing. Go forward willingly, regularly, and passionately.
Here at The Ohlmann Group, we love to use marketing to help companies create the future – to help clients overcome fear, dream bigger, listen better, and accomplish more. Are we sometimes afraid that our work won’t resonate, that people might hate our creative ideas, and that we will fail? Of course. Anyone who says differently is just lying. What gets us over that fear and on to doing our work is the joy it gives us to create, the responsibility we have to help our clients, and the thrill of seeing our ideas work, as very often they do. Our fear to pushes us, motivates us, and drives us to constantly improve. Fear can produce creativity, change, and success if you know what to do with it.
If you are looking for help overcoming your fears, improving your marketing, and making something remarkable happen, don’t be afraid to contact us. We view all of our clients as fearless Superheros, and we would be happy to add you to our little justice league of awesome businesses doing amazing things.
