What I love the most -- hands down -- about teaching creative professionals how to promote their services -- the thing you love most to do -- is to watch the "marketing mindset" emerge and take root.

The post below (from Joe, one of my students learning how to use LinkedIn for prospecting) is a perfect example of this evolution.

For reasons beyond my comprehension, the "marketing mindset" typically starts from a negative point of view. But the good news is that, with practice, it has the potential to become more and more positive. (It doesn't usually happen this quickly but you can see this shift in the space of 2 paragraphs and a P.S.)

Allow me to deconstruct it. 

Paragraph 1:

I sent a connect request to an IT consulting company CEO and he never responded. I figured he never would. This morning out of the blue I saw that he accepted.

The use of the word "never" in the first sentence is totally out of proportion with reality. 

Saying "never" implies you've been waiting a long, long time. But no more than 10 days had elapsed between the connect request being sent and accepted. 

So this tells me Joe is starting with the wrong attitude, which he proves by using the word "never" again (!) in the second sentence -- in which he lays bare his negative attitude!

This is even further reinforced by the phrase, "out of the blue" in the third sentence. 

I’m sorry folks, the acceptance of this connect request is not "out of the blue." 

Any response -- sooner or later -- to any kind of marketing effort  -- is never "out of the blue," although it may feel like it to you.

Paragraph 2:

But then Joe sees the light. Something shifts -- he changes his mindset.

The fact that the CEO accepted when Joe was sure he would not, changed everything. It seems to give him hope and he turns around and uses his example to encourage all of his colleagues in the group. 

I think the moral is to keep moving forward. The seeds you are planting will sprout sooner or later.

P.S. Sent two more requests today. You all keep going, no matter what!

Is that beautiful, or what?

If you know your marketing mindset is way too far in the negative zone and you need help bringing it into the positive zone, let's talk.