Marketing is like working out

One thing you need to know about me is that throughout my life I never liked to run. In fact when I had to do laps in high school I would always cheat and start walking as soon as the teacher could no longer see me. It was surprising I made the track and field team almost every year!

At the beginning of 2014 I decided to step up my cardio work-out and challenge myself: I would exercise every day whether on treadmill, elliptical, bike (in which case I divided miles by 3) or rowing machine, and cover 100 miles (about 160km) in 6 weeks. So what changed?

What really convinced me to take up the challenge was the thought that 2 or 3 miles a day weren't too bad (and the fact that the same distance in miles seemed so much shorter than in kilometers!). In order to reach my 100-mile goal I had to commit to exercising every day and write down my progress. By doing so, I knew exactly whether I was on pace or falling behind. So I started with 2.2 miles a day and soon it became a routine. In no time I had covered 30 miles, then 40, 50 and so on. By mile 87 it hit me. Marketing is like working out!

Photo by Guglielmo Mangiapane. All rights reserved.

I started thinking about it and realized how many characteristics working out and marketing have in common. Both activities are very beneficial: the first is beneficial to your physical and mental health, the second to your business life. Both activities entail long-term actions: nobody would think that working out just a day or a week or even a month would be enough to keep a healthy lifestyle. Just the same, marketing is an ongoing process that will most likely accompany you your entire business life.

In addition, both activities take discipline and determination. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to give up the challenge, but somehow I was determined to reach the finish line and despite how sore I was, how cold and snowy it was outside and how much I wanted to quit, I forced myself to keep going. So far I haven't applied this kind of determination to my marketing strategy but thanks to the following realization I now know how to do it.

The final and most important aspect is setting small, every-day goals. I would have never thought I could cover 100 miles in such a short amount of time. I think in my entire life I haven't come anywhere near that number. However, 2 or 3 miles a day seemed doable. And it's the same with marketing: I know I can contact 2-3 potential client a day. Even 1 a day would get me in touch with 90 new companies in just 3 months!

So I encourage you all to be disciplined and determined, and set small, every-day goals that will make your life healthier and your career more successful!