Rob really wants to fire a difficult client who’s sapping his energy and taking too much time, but can’t afford to, so he finds himself working to keep them instead.
Victor’s marketing isn’t working and he desperately needs more clients, but since he’s not comfortable with any of it, so he stays stuck.
Andrea is bearish on the market and the economy, so she’s having a hard time doing her job selling financial services, and finds herself dreading coming to work in the morning.
What all of these professionals have in common is the age old struggle between marketing and ethics, which is becoming more and more of an issue as we get deeper into the recession.
There are often two conflicting issues at play:
One is that many professionals have a lot of resistance to selling themselves, which can undermine their marketing and sales efforts, even in times of great economic growth. Instead, want clients to come to them, sometimes feeling that it’s undignified to do anything to precipitate that.
The other, is that people are scared about what’s going to happen, how they will make ends meet, and even if their businesses can survive; and are beginning to feel quite desperate, which then results in conflicted feelings, so they do nothing and the situation deteriorates even more.
The solutions can be as complex as the problems they address, but often begin by looking inside, working on the underlying issues that cause them to feel uncomfortable about selling themselves, building confidence, understanding the value that they bring to their clients, and getting in touch with the values that drive them as well.
Once this is done, then it’s easier to move onto the practical side and determine what kind of marketing strategy to employ that can ensure that one’s ethics remain intact and are compelling and effective enough to to bring in new clients at the same time.
When dealing with marketing ethics, balancing values and effectiveness is critical.
Susan Martin, marketing coaching.
