Marketing Doldrums

December 28, 2007 4:02 PM

Marketing Doldrums

My faithful Oxford Dictionary of the American Language defines doldrums thusly:

doldrums |ˈdōldrəmz; ˈdäl-; ˈdôl-| plural noun ( the doldrums) low spirits; a feeling of boredom or depression : color catalogs will rid you of February doldrums. • a period of inactivity or a state of stagnation : the mortgage market has been in the doldrums for three years. • an equatorial region of the Atlantic Ocean with calms, sudden storms, and light unpredictable winds.

I'm not bored or depressed, but the second definition works for me. After completing The Book, I caught up on the most pressing business before taking a break for the holiday. Today I learned that, due to a communication hiccup between my most excellent VA, Debbie, and the printer caused a delay and the blinking Book did not get to the printer until yesterday.

Sigh.

I guess that qualifies as a sudden, if minor, storm in the midst of the light unpredictable winds of doing business.

I also notice that my buddies in this line of work got their newsletters out as usual this week. I did not. They also sent end-of-the-year offers to their lists. I haven't done that either. And it's not that I'm less interested in marketing and sales, I'm just tired. And so I escaped to San Juan Island on Monday where we spent three days with our son, Aaron, his wife, Lis, and the amazing grandkids, Ellie and Dillon.

Tiredness happens, and that's not a bad thing. Still, it's something to consider when we work for ourselves. I notice that, while I do schedule down time and off time and vacation time, there's work to be done on the transitions. Otherwise I tend to work until it's time to play, and then I disappear rather abruptly. It's just not the nicest way to play.

I think what will help with the transitions is working on structures - routines, procedures, and the like. Maggie is a big help with this. For one thing, just having here around makes my thinking more orderly. For another, she is a detail person par excellence. Details were never my long suit, and now that midlife has wrought its changes on my brain and body, I wouldn't know a detail if it sat on my lap.

But I digress.

Another thing that will help is a way to show up in the betwixt-and-between times. As I was lounging around on San Juan Island, where we spent Christmas with kids and grandkids, it occurred to me that blogging more often might be the ticket. I can scribble a blog entry whatever my state of mind - at least, that's the theory. I can show up, warts and all, and keep the connection between us open, even when I'm confused about growing my own business, let alone yours.

(Actually, it's generally easier to see how to grow someone else's business. Have you noticed?)

I feel I'm babbling a bit, and that's okay. What struck me on that lazy afternoon up north was that I want a way to not go away when my brain turns to much.

If you like this up close and personal approach, let me know.

[No need to click "Continue Reading" - this is the whole thing.]