Unusual topic of marketing - what is your opinion?

by rabo
22 replies
Hi, community
I am very new here, and I would like to hear your opinion on a specific question. That would be great. So thanks in advance!

OK, let's describe me and my question in some short phrases:
- I am an experienced designer, freelancer and (I think) I am pretty good at my job. In fact, I love my job.

- I am not "normal" whatever that might be. I do not have a clear diagnosis, but I spent quite some times with psychologists. That is a long story,... What I think is, that autism, hypersensibility and AD(H)S is quite common in my family and I have a mixture of all of that. But don't worry, I am no freak. My work is excellent, I am good at communicating with my clients... Everything is fine. I just hate marketing, cause for me it seems to be something shallow.

Now my qustion: How does an autistic guy that hates marketing or hates to to communicate on shallow ideas get new clients? What I do now, obviously does not work: I try to behave like a "normal" but I am not "average".

But there are also some marketers that have a different approach to the topic of marketing itself: They say - more or less - this: Dont do what everybody does in marketing, be 100% authentic, show what you are, don't hide. THIS marketing will be 100 times more powerful than all the normal blabla that others do. So (as an example) if you are a punk and yoga teacher at the same time, don't feel ashamed about being a punk and hide it from your pupils. Promote it and be (probably) the only punk-yoga teacher that exists on the planet.

That makes me think of creating a very individual marketing plan (using a blog e.g.) for me as somehow "autistic" or "not neurotypical" designer. Maybe with the help of a marketing-PRO, that is not the point now. The main question is: Is that idea complete nonsense, or should I go on with it. What is your opinion?

Thanks a lot!
Raphael
#marketing #opinion #topic #unusual
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  • Originally Posted by rabo View Post


    Now my question: How does an autistic guy that hates marketing or hates to communicate on shallow ideas get new clients?
    The same way everyone else does; by doing marketing. It's not marketing you hate as much as marketers.

    You are not alone on that front.

    If I ask my girlfriend for her hand I'm guaranteed to get that yes. I look at everything leading up to that proposal in the same way I view marketing. I didn't manipulate her. I didn't coerce or force or badger or lie or mislead... and more importantly,I didn't try to be something I'm not.

    In a weird kind of way, anyone getting a marriage proposal accepted is a bloody good marketer If most people treated their prospects like a partner they genuinely cared about, instead of treating them like a prostitute, their marketing would be much better right off the bat.

    Originally Posted by rabo View Post

    If you are a punk and yoga teacher at the same time, don't feel ashamed about being a punk and hide it from your pupils. Promote it and be (probably) the only punk-yoga teacher that exists on the planet.
    The opposite of a good idea is usually another good idea. You just have to re frame it. Look at it from a non-sense angle. The merging of two separate ideas can form an idea better than both standing on their own.

    A yoga teacher who is a punk is only an advantage, if there's advantage to having a yoga teacher who is a punk.

    Originally Posted by rabo View Post

    That makes me think of creating a very individual marketing plan (using a blog e.g.) for me as somehow "autistic" or "not neurotypical" designer.
    Unless your designs are unique precisely because you are autistic, no one cares. However, if you can find a way to make it an advantage for your prospects, well then.

    I'll leave you with this:

    If you look, act and talk like a marketer, you may as well don a striped jumper and balaclava, and then go find a expert copywriter to help eliminate the RISK you yourself created.

    Seems to me you are already on the right path, even if you aren't sure how to go about it right now.
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    • Originally Posted by Declan O Flaherty View Post


      If I ask my girlfriend for her hand I'm guaranteed to get that yes. I look at everything leading up to that proposal in the same way I view marketing. I didn't manipulate her. I didn't coerce or force or badger or lie or mislead... and more importantly,I didn't try to be something I'm not.

      I take it the marriage is off then.
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      • Originally Posted by Devil Reincarnated View Post

        I take it the marriage is off then.

        She doesn't need a ring to know how lucky she is mate With that said, it'd be kick in the nuts if I asked her tomorrow and she said no. I'd prob'ly have to re-evaluate my marketing strategy, or at the very least, my targeting.
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    • Profile picture of the author hometutor
      Originally Posted by Declan O Flaherty View Post


      Unless your designs are unique precisely because you are autistic, no one cares. However, if you can find a way to make it an advantage for your prospects, well then.
      Decades ago a telemarketer called me and told me the products were all made by handicapped (or whatever the pc term is now) people in wheel chairs. The guy was speechless when I told him I didn't care who made it just how good the product was.

      Rick
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by rabo View Post


    But there are also some marketers that have a different approach to the topic of marketing itself: They say - more or less - this: Dont do what everybody does in marketing, be 100% authentic, show what you are, don't hide. THIS marketing will be 100 times more powerful than all the normal blabla that others do. So (as an example) if you are a punk and yoga teacher at the same time, don't feel ashamed about being a punk and hide it from your pupils. Promote it and be (probably) the only punk-yoga teacher that exists on the planet.
    Thanks a lot!
    Raphael
    Use what you have . Promote that.

    Like all marketing, it will attract certain people, and repel others. The people it attracts? Those are your clients.

    Marketing isn't shallow by itself. It's only shallow if you do it in a shallow way (whatever that is). Just tell people you meet what you do, have a Linked-in page, a Youtube channel, a website...and go to events (when they open up) that your clients would attend.

    Whatever you do, don't act like someone you aren't. It's impossible to wear that mask all the time.
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  • Profile picture of the author DABK
    What do you hate about marketing? Don't do that. If it needs to be done, outsource it. If not, just drop it.

    Ever paid attention to what is marketed to you? If not, start now, make a journal of things you liked, when you actually purchased; what you liked that when you did not purchase, what you hated when you did not purchase, what you hated when you purchased.

    Any of the things you like you see yourself doing? Do them.

    I do not know why 'normal' comes into play.

    Normal, in wedding dress shops, is gorgeous websites. Normal to me in wedding shop websites is a websites that sells. Adding more pulchritude for the sake of having it is pointless, according to me.

    I made a site a few years ago for a wedding dress store. Lots of comments about how this and that website (and they showed me competitors) look better.

    But they were making sales. Recently, we parted ways... More precisely, I parted ways.

    They redid their site. It looks gorgeous... The new company did not mess the SEO, they still show up nicely, so they have about the same traffic.

    They do not make more sales per visitor. They paid extra for the extra beauty. The extra beauty is not converting more people. They are happy all the same: brides now tell them they have a beautiful site.

    So, essentially, beautiful site compliments are worth, as far as I could figure it out, $8.73 each.

    That said, marketing is not about being normal but about pointing to people who are willing and able to purchase that you have what they want and that their experience will be better buying from you than from someone else.

    Most beginners stumble here. Either they go with, I'm the cheapest (fastest, best, etc.) claims or they freeze, unable to come up with something nobody else has come up with.

    You need to be different from your prospective buyer's other options. Or, at least, to be perceived as such.

    So, how are you different?

    Once you know this, the next question is: where can your and your prospective buyer's paths intersect often.

    Depending on who you're selling to it could be:
    youtube, google searches, instagram
    or
    facebook, pinterest, newspaper ads.

    Each group of prospective buyers can be met in more than one place / platform. You need to choose one you don't mind or, better yet, like and already use.

    Then you have to craft your message. Since you do not like marketing, you might want to do it in such a way as to be able to reframe it as "I'm helping nice people."

    If you were going the SEO way, you'd find keywords, create content that provides really useful info (info competitors do not disclose or do not provide sufficient detail), and have a way for them to buy / contact you.

    If you're doing facebook, you'd buy ads there that take prospects to useful info on your site...

    And you join groups and provide free and useful info, interact with them, and, every now and again, link to your site, for related (and useful info).

    The best way to not feel you're marketing, is to target well and know that what you're providing is worth what you're charging.

    I think most people do not care that you're autistic if you can provide them what they want for a price they like without hassles.


    You could use it to connect more strongly with some people.


    You could go after people who are autistic themselves (and lose a lot of non-autistic ones... but who cares? you'll get enough of the autistic ones).


    There's the risk you'll piss everyone off, if you do not execute well.


    You could go for autistic and non-autistic people who hate corporations and would rather deal with someone small.


    Or with anyone who needs to feel a stronger connection. Your competitors might have photos on their blog of themselves on a boat outing... you'd have something about you doing / remembering something where autism made the interaction of the outcome different... Most people will object if you go for melodramatic or, even, sad... Unless you're a good writer.



    Whatever choice you make, you'll turn off some people. So, do not worry about that. Only worry about having enough who respond positively.


    https://auticon.us/an-autistic-view-on-marketing/ somebody with autism who does marketing... she would sell herself:
    Which of your autistic strengths can you use in your job?
    For marketing I think the most useful autistic trait is my ability and interest in researching things heavily. When I learn about something, I want to know everything. This helps when I'm looking for what to share on social media or if I'm working on a blog post, I want to consume as much content around that before sharing so that I can have the most informed post. Another that isn't as marketing specific, but just to my job as a whole, is my efficiency. I work very quickly because I can hyperfocus, so when I have a lot of different tasks thrown at me, I can organize them and get them done quickly. It's ironic because I think there is a stereotype that autistic people are very bad at organization, but many autistic people I know, myself included, have overcompensated and are actually extremely organized.

    My 3 cents.



    Originally Posted by rabo View Post

    Hi, community
    I am very new here, and I would like to hear your opinion on a specific question. That would be great. So thanks in advance!

    OK, let's describe me and my question in some short phrases:
    - I am an experienced designer, freelancer and (I think) I am pretty good at my job. In fact, I love my job.

    - I am not "normal" whatever that might be. I do not have a clear diagnosis, but I spent quite some times with psychologists. That is a long story,... What I think is, that autism, hypersensibility and AD(H)S is quite common in my family and I have a mixture of all of that. But don't worry, I am no freak. My work is excellent, I am good at communicating with my clients... Everything is fine. I just hate marketing, cause for me it seems to be something shallow.

    Now my qustion: How does an autistic guy that hates marketing or hates to to communicate on shallow ideas get new clients? What I do now, obviously does not work: I try to behave like a "normal" but I am not "average".

    But there are also some marketers that have a different approach to the topic of marketing itself: They say - more or less - this: Dont do what everybody does in marketing, be 100% authentic, show what you are, don't hide. THIS marketing will be 100 times more powerful than all the normal blabla that others do. So (as an example) if you are a punk and yoga teacher at the same time, don't feel ashamed about being a punk and hide it from your pupils. Promote it and be (probably) the only punk-yoga teacher that exists on the planet.

    That makes me think of creating a very individual marketing plan (using a blog e.g.) for me as somehow "autistic" or "not neurotypical" designer. Maybe with the help of a marketing-PRO, that is not the point now. The main question is: Is that idea complete nonsense, or should I go on with it. What is your opinion?

    Thanks a lot!
    Raphael
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew Stanley
    My 3 cents
    Wow - that's more like a 3 bitcoin response than a $0.03 one! To the OP - some of the most knowledgeable and experienced Warriors have posted here already - which doesn't frequently happen off a first post (good on you for a prompt that's already spurred such a rich reply). Would firstly recommend you read, and re-read what they've said until it's internalized. For me, there are at least 4 points from the above that are particularly powerful: a) doing what you're good at/like, and outsourcing the rest, b) recognizing that an internet business allows you to find, and fill, virtually any niche, and that there's great reward that can be had when you're different and/or the only one doing something, c) learning to re-frame things/"problems", which can allow you, among other things, to view what's "not normal" about you as a super power, not a liability, and d) being who you are even if that's not everyone's cup of tea.
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    • Profile picture of the author rabo
      Mathew,
      thanks a lot! Yes you are right on all four points. Some of them I already know, but maybe I could not express them good enough, as English is not my first language. But nevertheless I wanted to use an English forum, cause generally, these forums are better when it comes to internetmarketing.
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      • Profile picture of the author Matthew Stanley
        Your clarity / written expression seem just fine to me, Rabo! And to my mind, your aim to embark on a project you're naturally motivated to pursue, and see if you can make it a commercial success, makes plenty of sense. Doesn't "cost" as much energy, and even if it doesn't prove economically viable for you, you'll very likely learn something along the way that boosts your odds of the next adventure being successful..
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  • Profile picture of the author rabo
    Thanks for all the answers. I will explain a bit more in depth:

    I know how marketing works more or less. But the main problem in marketing is - for a autistic person - that it is always based on interacting with people. One definition of autism is that austists do not like to interact with people. Therefore some of the ideas that were proposed, do not relly work for me or for other autists.

    Nevertheless autists are intelligent can do things etc. BUT: They prefer to do it alone. This said e. g. creating a facebook group and helping people resolving their problems, makes no sense for me. YES, it is a good option for most people. But not for me.

    Of all of the possible methods only SEO would fit. But SEO becomes more and more expensive and the costs per lead are already too high for me, . For agencies SEO for webdesign is OK. But for single freelances it is no longer interesting, cause the projects I do are too small.

    Therfore I think about a change. And one of the options is to specialise on the field of autism.

    To make it brief:
    PROs for specializing in web design connected to autism: I guess there are plenty of organisations/ doctors / artists... in that area that would not mind to work with an autist. On the opposite. Maybe they would even prefer it.

    SEO in that field will be easy, as autism is not really a hard keyword.

    CONs for specializing in web design connected to autism: OK, to ask a fellow blogger for a link or a guest-post might be challenching. If he is autistic aswell, he might not answer.

    I doubt, that the keys connected to autism will create a lot of traffic.

    Thats my point of view for the moment. but anyway, your comments already helped me to dig deeper into the topic.
    Thanks
    rabo
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Can you arrange with someone to do the interacting for you? I mean, you'll still have to interact with that someone, but that someone will interact on your behalf.


      Also, interacting online for the purpose of marketing is not the same as interacting.


      Liking a post on FaceBook is interacting. Sharing it too.


      If someone's looking for information on how to sharpen a building and you post a link to a building-sharpener on amazon.com, that's interacting.


      What you've done here on this thread is interacting.


      There are forums that your prospects visit, you might be able to do there what you've done here.


      You might want to partner with a marketer who loves the interacting part and hates everything else.


      Yes, you need to interact with that person.



      You have to interact with employees, if you go that way, providers, if you choose to outsource.


      You could hire affiliates. You produce everything they need to sell your stuff (landing pages, ads), present it to them once, let them run with that.


      You could place ads in the paper or on craigslist, or yelp or many other sites that require you interact with a webpage (till you make a sale, then, depending on how you deliver, you may have to interact with the buyer).



      Originally Posted by rabo View Post

      Thanks for all the answers. I will explain a bit more in depth:

      I know how marketing works more or less. But the main problem in marketing is - for a autistic person - that it is always based on interacting with people. One definition of autism is that austists do not like to interact with people. Therefore some of the ideas that were proposed, do not relly work for me or for other autists.

      Nevertheless autists are intelligent can do things etc. BUT: They prefer to do it alone. This said e. g. creating a facebook group and helping people resolving their problems, makes no sense for me. YES, it is a good option for most people. But not for me.

      Of all of the possible methods only SEO would fit. But SEO becomes more and more expensive and the costs per lead are already too high for me, . For agencies SEO for webdesign is OK. But for single freelances it is no longer interesting, cause the projects I do are too small.

      Therfore I think about a change. And one of the options is to specialise on the field of autism.

      To make it brief:
      PROs for specializing in web design connected to autism: I guess there are plenty of organisations/ doctors / artists... in that area that would not mind to work with an autist. On the opposite. Maybe they would even prefer it.

      SEO in that field will be easy, as autism is not really a hard keyword.

      CONs for specializing in web design connected to autism: OK, to ask a fellow blogger for a link or a guest-post might be challenching. If he is autistic aswell, he might not answer.

      I doubt, that the keys connected to autism will create a lot of traffic.

      Thats my point of view for the moment. but anyway, your comments already helped me to dig deeper into the topic.
      Thanks
      rabo
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      • Profile picture of the author rabo
        DABK,
        thanks for your ideas. To make it more clear: As you can see, "interacting" is not impossible for me, it costs just more energy than other activities. Therefore I only do it:
        - If I must (extrinsic motivation)
        - If I REALLY want to result (intrinsic motivation)

        If I must do something, the result is bad and it takes lots of time/ energy. That would be classic marketing. Here my results are really super poor. You are right, that I should outsource that part.

        But for this new project, it would be different. That one, I really would like to do. And as somebody quoted in this thread already: If you really want to do something, you will have success. And on the internet, you can access every niche quite easily.

        The only thing I cannot know now is if it will be successful in a commercial way. Cause there is no classical market for something like "autistic web design". Therefore I will continue what I am doing (anyway that works on autopilot cause of word-of-mouth). But I can create the other project and see, if it will be just a spare time or if it will be also a commercial success.
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        • Profile picture of the author DABK
          There might be no market for autistic web design but there are autistic people who own businesses. All other things being equal, they might prefer working with you due to affinity.


          You are right, there are not as many autistic business owners as say, women owners or men owners. But there are not that many autistic web designers / marketers, either.


          Also, the trick about marketing: you must niche down to have success (unless you have Amazon's resources, and, then, you do not).


          What if there is really not enough autistic business owners to support one web designer / marketer?


          You, then, branch out into related groups... by problem or by group.


          Which groups it is up to you. People have mentioned introverts... That's kind of big... but you can make a list of things introverts and autistic people have in common and speak to those problems.


          Introverts is a large chunk of the population business owner, so I'd suggest you narrow it down some more. Can be by region, by age, by gender, by business type, by all of the above.


          Think of it this way:


          You're American, speak only English. You move to France, say Paris.


          Interacting with the locals is hard. Interacting with Americans and other English-speaking people is easier. Interacting with Americans is easiest.


          You have an easier time if you find where the Americans hang out.


          You can learn French and increase your reach... but you'll still connect easily with Americans... (well, until snobism kicks in or if you've spent decades only among the French).


          You need to find where people for whom your being autistic has value.


          They might not be autistic themselves. They might provide services to autistic people. Since you're autistic, you have a better understanding of how autistic people interact with a website than other people.



          You might, therefore, be the preferred choice of a non-profit organization that caters to autistic people that wants a website.


          Unlike me, you might already know how to design to help autistic people transition from one activity to another (which would come in quite handy for a middle school website, for instance) or how to do colors/ color combinations so they encourage participation / calm.


          Think a bit about all the activities autistic people have online...
          school, doctor, bank, etc... Some of them are quite interested in making it easier for their autistic clients / patients to interact with them online and able to pay what you want.





          Originally Posted by rabo View Post

          DABK,
          thanks for your ideas. To make it more clear: As you can see, "interacting" is not impossible for me, it costs just more energy than other activities. Therefore I only do it:
          - If I must (extrinsic motivation)
          - If I REALLY want to result (intrinsic motivation)

          If I must do something, the result is bad and it takes lots of time/ energy. That would be classic marketing. Here my results are really super poor. You are right, that I should outsource that part.

          But for this new project, it would be different. That one, I really would like to do. And as somebody quoted in this thread already: If you really want to do something, you will have success. And on the internet, you can access every niche quite easily.

          The only thing I cannot know now is if it will be successful in a commercial way. Cause there is no classical market for something like "autistic web design". Therefore I will continue what I am doing (anyway that works on autopilot cause of word-of-mouth). But I can create the other project and see, if it will be just a spare time or if it will be also a commercial success.
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    • Profile picture of the author Serene Carmen
      Hi Rabo

      I don't think it's just autists that have this problem, its introverts in general (probably amplified for someone with autism).

      I am also and introvert and usually find real life interactions exhausting. Interestingly I have found posting/interacting on this forum and on Twitter have helped, getting me out of my comfort zone (and I have noticed it gets easier the more you do it)!

      It also helps to be interacting with people who have similar interests.

      Blogs require minimal interaction once they are up and running, probably a better option than starting a service related business if you don't love talking to people.

      Ecommerce is another option, you could hire a VA to interact with customers on your behalf.
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      • Profile picture of the author rabo
        Serena, thanks for your answer...
        > It also helps to be interacting with people who have similar interests.
        Yes, that really helps me. Somehow it is logical. But if you want to create a business based on it, you should ask others for their opinion.

        In my special case, It moves toward something like a blog for and about people who are a little bit outside of "normality" (whatever one might think is "normality") But the blog could be for/ about introverted/ autists/ Aspergers/ ADHS / ADS... Showing people that can deal with the way they are, maybe also taking their "problems" (partly) as a gift.

        It will focus 100% on the interests of a very special niche. And if I do it well and offer my services well, that blog might also bring new clients. Besides that, it is very interesting to do it. Much more than the usual way of marketing. OK, somehow it is marketing. A very specialized way of content marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author adammoore
    I totally get where you're coming from. I have a few friends who are introverts as well, as prefer not speaking lol Funny enough, they are all mainly developers and coders, which means they don't always need the best communication skills, as long as they're good at what they're doing.. But.. I would say this, everything needs to be learned, some people are better at speaking than others, but typically this is because they're grown up with "talkative" families. Push your limits, and put yourself in situations that makes you uncomfortable, and in time you will become better.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      OP is talking about being autistic not introverted. A whole different thing.


      Originally Posted by adammoore View Post

      I totally get where you're coming from. I have a few friends who are introverts as well, as prefer not speaking lol Funny enough, they are all mainly developers and coders, which means they don't always need the best communication skills, as long as they're good at what they're doing.. But.. I would say this, everything needs to be learned, some people are better at speaking than others, but typically this is because they're grown up with "talkative" families. Push your limits, and put yourself in situations that makes you uncomfortable, and in time you will become better.
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  • Profile picture of the author socialentry
    Originally Posted by rabo View Post

    But there are also some marketers that have a different approach to the topic of marketing itself: They say - more or less - this: Dont do what everybody does in marketing, be 100% authentic, show what you are, don't hide. THIS marketing will be 100 times more powerful than all the normal blabla that others do. So (as an example) if you are a punk and yoga teacher at the same time, don't feel ashamed about being a punk and hide it from your pupils. Promote it and be (probably) the only punk-yoga teacher that exists on the planet.

    yes but wat if its karmen homolka or freddy krueger that is doing the marketing.
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  • Seems like you got plenty interaction gowin' on already.

    5 posts in, an' you already attractin' the attention of Warriors ain't gonna waste their time on Noob Trivia.

    Bettah still ...

    I showed!

    An' I would wanna say this ...

    Always there are problems in all things.

    It is mebbe part of life how in ordah to secure so much we seek we kinda gotta depend on what may seem to be the little we have.

    That is why we not all fatass gals slummin' around on dezzit islands, pumped fulla pleasure juice by enslaved enthoosiasts, takin' out distractin' albatrosses c/o laser beams fired from our boobies.

    Plus, we don't all gotta be Frank Kern danglin' his hairiest monstrosities from offa the parapet of all glory ... nor Tony "my face is actschwlly bigger than the entire Cosmos" Robbins ... let alone Gary "if I wasn't so pumped, maybe I could spend just two or three minutes a day helping my equally pumped fanbase get pumped up about themselves instead of ME" Vanitismochirp-hickurpck-hickurpck-hickurpck.

    Hey, so you chartin' a course ... primed fulla potential you got -- which places you in a very pertickular GROOP.

    Cos plenty people got no idea ... allied to no kinda frickin' clue.

    Load 'em up with any kinda cash, intel, costooms ... best they can hope for is to be MARGINALLY LESS DOOMED than they are already.

    So keep thinkin' 'bout the actschwaahn you wanna take ... an' the confluxspace between that "horizon beheld" an' the value you hold in your locker ... bcs here is the firepowah gonna endure.
    Signature

    Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.

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  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    Your question really is a common question: "Can I succeed with all my self-doubt?"

    Can I succeed if I'm autistic, can I succeed if I'm poor...can I succeed if I came from a bad background...can I succeed if I'm from a third world country...can I succeed if I was in prison...can I succeed if I'm ugly...can I succeed if I'm not smart...can I succeed if I'm shy...

    we see stories all the time of people who overcame major obstacles to accomplish things that make us all realize that humans are capable of anything.

    Everybody has a reason in their mind that would prevent them from succeeding. And each person's reason is just as troubling for that person as the biggest problem anyone else has.

    Nobody can tell you if you'll succeed or not. It's a personal journey that you need to discover.

    Most successful people are successful because they overcame self-doubt.

    You're wanting everybody to remove all the obstacles and promise you a great outcome. It doesn't work like that. You're looking for reassurance that you can be successful. You're stuck in the analyzing stage.

    You may be autistic, but to an ugly person, or a fat person, or a person with no legs, or arms, or that lives in a bubble...the question is still just as troubling and in many cases prevents the person from ever finding out.

    It's your story. Only you can write it.

    I've discovered anybody can do anything they want if they really want it. That sounds simple, but really wanting something sometimes takes extreme work and extreme dedication...and quite frankly, most won't ever achieve success because they'll still be stuck in the questioning themselves stage.

    Great success stories are the ones that people achieved against all odds...and most importantly, against all self-doubt.

    If you want to do something you'll find a way.

    If you need the approval of others before you start, you'll still be stuck where you were when you started asking.

    I know a successful ad agency that was started by recovering drug addicts.

    I know a successful marketing agency that was started by homeless people.

    I know successful runners that have no legs.

    A few years ago I did a post on here about a motivational speech I did.

    I asked everyone to raise their hand as high in the air as they could.

    Then I said, raise it higher...

    now higher...

    now go as high as you possibly can.

    Most ended up on their tippy-toes.

    My point was when I asked everyone to raise their hand as high as they could, most did it half-ass...

    they had to be prompted and prompted to keep raising it higher.

    Everything you do should be with all your effort. If you do something, do it with all your effort, and don't wait on others to prompt you to give it more.

    It's your story...
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Handy
    Originally Posted by rabo View Post

    Hi, community
    I am very new here, and I would like to hear your opinion on a specific question. That would be great. So thanks in advance!

    OK, let's describe me and my question in some short phrases:
    - I am an experienced designer, freelancer and (I think) I am pretty good at my job. In fact, I love my job.

    - I am not "normal" whatever that might be. I do not have a clear diagnosis, but I spent quite some times with psychologists. That is a long story,... What I think is, that autism, hypersensibility and AD(H)S is quite common in my family and I have a mixture of all of that. But don't worry, I am no freak. My work is excellent, I am good at communicating with my clients... Everything is fine. I just hate marketing, cause for me it seems to be something shallow.

    Now my qustion: How does an autistic guy that hates marketing or hates to to communicate on shallow ideas get new clients? What I do now, obviously does not work: I try to behave like a "normal" but I am not "average".

    But there are also some marketers that have a different approach to the topic of marketing itself: They say - more or less - this: Dont do what everybody does in marketing, be 100% authentic, show what you are, don't hide. THIS marketing will be 100 times more powerful than all the normal blabla that others do. So (as an example) if you are a punk and yoga teacher at the same time, don't feel ashamed about being a punk and hide it from your pupils. Promote it and be (probably) the only punk-yoga teacher that exists on the planet.

    That makes me think of creating a very individual marketing plan (using a blog e.g.) for me as somehow "autistic" or "not neurotypical" designer. Maybe with the help of a marketing-PRO, that is not the point now. The main question is: Is that idea complete nonsense, or should I go on with it. What is your opinion?

    Thanks a lot!
    Raphael
    My friend, I have high regards for your views on marketing and how you feel about it. However, business success is not always tied to what we like, but in most cases, to things we don't like.

    You are blessed with the product creation skills or the art; that area is covered. However, you now want to venture into business, and the business will not be the product you create or service render, but the marketing of the product you create or service you render. You must have a clear understanding of this because most start-up entrepreneurs go wrong and fail; success in business and marketing is inseparable.

    For you, the notion of not doing what everybody does and be 100% authentic should apply to product creation and not to marketing at this time. What is most vital for you presently is a proven marketing strategy that works, one that will bring in profits as soon as possible.

    Mainly because (from your own words), "I just hate marketing, cause for me it seems to be something shallow," I strongly advise against experimenting with your own original marketing strategies at this time, but find yourself a marketing expert and follow his or her directions to the letter. The other option is to hire someone to do your marketing.
    In the words of Steve Jobs, "Great things in business are never done by one person; a team of people does them."
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  • Profile picture of the author toysoldier80
    Unique is always special when it comes to affiliate marketing. Being too unique can be a problem as well which is what many marketers face when they are starting out. They understand it takes a lot of work and come to understand that not many "affiliates" are successful online. Instead they try to come up with unique ideas and already try to play with the big dogs even though they do not know what it takes to become successful which is how a bunch of affiliates share what they have learned with unique programs and offers.

    I do not think there is a problem latching on with a successful buysiness model like CPA offers, Building lists and sharing successful programs. This way you learn how to become an affiliate, generating traffic, etc. Over time you will come to develop your own techniques and successes that you then can share in forums or even in programs and offers you can make money with.

    Obviously I still do not want to deter you from coming up with your own unique program either. People do develop unique programs and are able to distribute them across the globe successfully. I am basically just saying don't get caught up in the uniqueness if you think that is the only way you think you can be successful affiliate marketing onlinel.
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