Entrepreneur, have you ever seen those old (really old) films of the early 20’s and 30’s where this extremely courageous lion tamer, often times with nothing more than a whip in hand, stool and an awful lot (of) let’s just say moxie, for fear of offending anyone of a more sensitive nature.
Fearlessly steps into the cage and somehow seizes the moment and takes complete control over these 500 LB creatures of god, that where they to encounter them in the wild, without some type of high powered weapon and at least 100 feet between them, they would most certainly be toast!
Personally, my take is you just might be missing a few french fries from your “happy meal” if you somehow equate crawling into a cage with a gargantuan 500 LB human flesh smelling lion and or lions, and you somehow see this as fun and exhilarating!
And a viable career choice!
But hey, whatever floats your boat. (And to each his own. ) That said, let’s equate owning, running and (hopefully) successfully growing your business as stepping into the lion’s den as it were.
Of course nobody’s suggesting that being in business for yourself is as straightforward as potentially dangerous as being eaten by a lion. But let’s face it, there are certain aspects of running your business (on or offline), that if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. You will most certainly get eaten alive! Correct?
Case in point. Ask anybody that’s ever attempted to do highly sophisticated Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, without first being properly trained, if they felt like they were gobbled up by their lack of real world experience!
Because, while attempting to run your own business certainly carries and involves a certain amount of risk, just no where near the type that would otherwise be involved with attempting to become a successful lion tamer, agreed?
Okay, that said, what in the world does what the lowly lion tamer, have to do with you and I successfully running your own business or service? And why on earth would or should you ever seriously consider hiring them as your marketing consultant? What’s up with that?
So How In The World Could Hiring A Lowly Lion Tamer As Your Marketing Consultant Possibly Help You Grow Your Business?
Well first of all, it’s not because they have some unknown secret to share and or reveal! Or because they possess some god like super power! Although truth told, you gotta have a little something different running through your veins if you want to be alone in cage with just a whip and stool and a 500 LB foaming at the mouth potential man eater! Just saying!
Anyway, here’s the deal. While the lowly (and probably) extremely under paid lion tamer is many things. Rest assured these extremely courageous men and women are nobody’s fool!
Not by a long shot. But ya see, they do understand a little something, something about psychology on a very deep level. Huh? And that’s part of what helps them to be successful, even in the face of such an extremely stressful and risky career choice, like the one they made.
Meaning: They get and understand exactly what the lion (aka) their target market wants and when they want it!
Case in point: Whenever they do one of those behind the scenes type of documentaries on this rather odd, (but certainly noble) profession. They show just out of the sight of the camera, some highly trained professional sharp shooters that are standing by with high powered tranquilizer guns at the ready. Just in case things do get out of hand and they need to rush in and quickly subdue the lion(s.)
So first off, the lion tamer is properly prepared to successfully undertake the task at hand! So the powerful lesson to be passed on here for today’s savvy entrepreneur is, invest in the proper tools, be it equipment or personal and or professional education of some kind. If it will make accomplishing your goals far more likely.
Next. Here’s the other thing that’s not readily apparent, the lions are temporary starved before they actually do any filming. This way when the seemingly courageous lion tamer cracks their whip and aggressively directs the lion left or right, guess what?
They seem to willing comply! Right? But wanna know the real secret to the lion tamers madness? Just out of the sight of the camera, as the lion tamer seemingly wills the lion to move left or right.
Other highly experienced (and if you ask me) slightly off their rocker as well, trained assistants, wave raw meat in the actual direction that they want the lions to go!
The Lion Tamer Understands How To Strategically Use Benefits To Entice Their Target Market!
Say what? You see, that lion tamer is crazy like a fox! Translated: They understand-all too well- the power of benefits! They know the lion’s want raw meat! And they want it now! So the lion tamer merely uses the meat as an irresistible benefit, in order to get the lion (s) to comply with their wishes!
Is that clever or what? So you see the lion tamer (first) does their all important target market research! Then they devise and implement a simple marketing plan! And the net result is both parties get what they want! The lion (s) want to rip into that raw meat asap, and as a result willing cooperate with the lion tamer’s wishes!
And the courageously courageous lion tamer wants to appear to their (on camera audience,) as if they’ve got complete control over these 500 LB house cats! Yea right!
In any event, hopefully now you can and do appreciate why you may want to seriously consider hiring a lowly lion tamer as your marketing consultant! Any questions?
Please share your extremely valuable comments (in the comments section below) that you can apply to your business, product or service in the next 30 days or less!
Are You Starting To Appreciate How True Marketing Inspiration Can Come From Practically Any Source?
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Hey Mark,
I’m with you on this! I would never find myself in a lion’s cage, or anywhere near a lion. Maybe it’s the conditioning from TV, but I don’t want to take my chances LOL!
But as always, you come up with the greatest analogies. You are definitely the epitome of a Entrepreneur/Marketer. But I like this fact that you showed how psychology matters when it comes to your target audience. Like the tamer using the raw meat to entice and control it’s action, the marketer can use a funded proposal in order to generate leads and sales. Some use training video series while others may use ebooks. As long as you know what your audience wants, then you can give them something that entices them to subscribe to your list and purchase!
This comes from good training, or in my case a lot of experience with trials and tribulations LOL.. But I definitely don’t regret it!
Thanks for sharing Mark! I hope your holidays are going well!
Excellent points as always Sherman!
And I’m definitely in your camp when it comes to climbing into a cage with
a 500 LB potential man eater!LOL! No way!
But I also like the way you pointed out that our bait if you will is our free digital and or physical
info products that we might use in order to entice our potential target market.
We’ve definitely got to do a little homework, in order to be sure we’re fishing (prospecting) with the right bait!
Otherwise, we’re gonna continue to have a tough go of it!
Thanks as always for sharing and articulating extremely well, your always welcome real world input!
And for your continuous support!Both are greatly appreciated!
Love the analogy as well Mark! What a fun way to look at marketing. One of the things I’ve also heard about lion tamers is that, in live events, such as a circus, the lion is in a stressful environment where the tamer is considered alpha because it is familiar with the territory–something like that. In the end it all comes down to knowing your target audience and their behaviors.
Absolutely Victoria!
And that’s a really great point about the environment! I hadn’t heard that fact shared before!
In any event, if the lion tamer hasn’t properly done their market research, the consequences can be rather deadly!
Don’t you agree?LOL!
Thanks for sharing your extremely valuable insights!
Hi Mark,
What a great story you wove into this lesson. The story of lion tamer, in front of the camera, and behind the scenes!
I like the analogy because marketers are always waving raw meat at their audience, to make them go this way, then that.
If you’re any good at marketing though, the meat you finally share with your audience should be the good stuff. That way you don’t need those tranquilizer rifles.
No lion tamer ever got to learn the tricks of the trade, though, without some real good and high quality coaching. I absolutely agree that this is essential if you don’t want to get eaten alive.
Fun article 🙂 Thanks, Mark.
-Donna
That is so true Donna!
I guess one way or the other, if you’re going to have any chance
of being successful in business, somebody’s got to become
competent at some form of marketing, right?LOL!
Which means, like you pointed out, somebody has got to train you!
That’s a great point! Thanks so much for all your expert help, support and encouragement!
It’s all greatly appreciated and needed!
That’s a very insightful and creative way of making your point, Mark! And you’re right. A win-win situation is created when you understand your target market and then implement a marketing plan that addresses benefits.
Absolutely Leanne!
And a fabulous compliment like tat coming from the “Queen of creativity” herself
is freaking awesome!
So thanks a bunch! Glad you found some value and thanks for stopping
by and sharing your thoughts and for your continuous support!
I truly appreciate both!
Hi Mark,
Wonderful analogy although I got a bit scared at the beginning but it all came together at the end. LOL.
Indeed, like the lion tamer, we need to know the pain point of our audience and what makes them tick to provide the right solution to them. A happy and satisfied audience means a successful business.
Yes, at some point in our business, we need a mentor or a coach to lead us in the right direction. That’s for sure, we can’t just do it on our own, we need to do it under some kind of supervision until we pick up the craft to do it on our own.
Thanks Mark for a great lesson. Enjoy the rest of your week and I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas.
Be Blessed,
Neamat
Totally awesome Neamat!
So glad you found some value!I think it’s too funny
that weren’t sure if I was going to go gory on you!LOL!
And I’ definitely on the same page as you when it comes
to investing both the time and money in a proven mentor!
Because running a successful business is risky enough, without the added risk o not knowing
what we’re doing!
A lack of knowledge and or experience is the equivalent of entering the proverbial lion’s den without even the whip
and or stool!LOL!
Good luck with that! Thanks so much as always for stopping by and being an active part of the conversation!
And for you continuous support!
I truly appreciate both!
I enjoyed the extended metaphor of the lion tamer to make your point that entrepreneurs are stepping into the lion’s den every day — the competitive industry in which they are trying to outwit their competitors (the lions). Agreed, you can’t always do it alone. Do what you do best and outsource the other tasks that will help you to be successful. That’s why I have my webmaster behind the scenes. No one sees him but he keeps me up and running!
You and me both Jeannette!
And although some dare not admit it, if you’re not equipped both emotionally and
financially to successful compete in business, it will feel like a lion has made a short
meal of us!
Like you I agree that outsourcing to the right people can relieve a lot
of pressure and stress.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your extremely valuable
thoughts Jeannette.
Your input is greatly appreciated!
This is really, really, really creative Mark! I sat in a cage in Thailand 2 years ago with three 400 pound tigers. I was no tamer but I watched the Thai men closely who were their handlers. Each knew exactly how to communicate with the tigers to get them to do what they wanted….or, the Thai knew when to leave them alone. It’s all a benefits based thing, from humans to big cats, and from us to our readers, and customers.
The Thai trainers told us not to look the tigers directly in the eye, because it’s a challenge. I am in good shape, but a 400 pound beast would use me as a tooth pick in 4/10 of a second lol! They were SO SO big, seeing them in person, so scary, so monstrously muscular. Bottom of the food chain, I felt like, right as soon as I stepped into the cage. Knowing this you better believe that I had to keep the tiger’s benefits in mind, immediately, both to appease them and to survive the trip in the cage, and to avoid any damage to my body.
I just started running a weekly Buy 1 Get 1 Free special on my blog Mark, selling my eBooks. I realized that this would benefit my audience so much, because I have 10 eBooks to give and I want to get more of them into my reader’s hands at a ridiculous discount….so if they act quickly and they don’t wait around, they can receive uber benefits from the Blogging from Paradise blog, and brand….and yeah, from me too 😉
We buy because we’re benefited from the buy. Any business pro knows this. In business cases, it means business success or failure but in the lion tamer’s case it means life or death. They have no choice so they get it down pat but if we’re paying attention to your business brilliance today, Mark, you better believe we’ll be just as focused on selling a dream and stressing the benefits of our products and services.
Thanks Mark!
Ryan
Wow Ryan!
This is such a tremendous comment you’ve shared bud! Seriously, I’m going to have to do a follow up
(part two) article now and share and incorporate some of the extremely powerful life and proven business wisdom that
you’re sharing!
And I absolutely love the way you first described your as being in shape, but basically at the the bottom
of the food chain, with regards to a 400 LB beast! LOL! That’s just too funny!
And I had never heard the reference about not looking them directly in the eye, for fear of the “King of the beast’
potentially taking it as a challenge!
What an incredibly powerful (and potential) life or death insight to made aware of!
Also I distinctly remember seeing those almost death defying pictures of you in
the cage (smiling no less!) next to those incredibly large (and as you mentioned) quite muscular lions and
thinking what kind of drugs is this guy on!LOl!
Because both you and the lions seemed so overly relaxed. I was literally awe struck at your incredible courage my
friend!
But I was also thinking there is simply no way I’d be attempting that one!LOL! Why I’d rather try my chances
with Tony Robbins famous fire walk challenge!
Thank you Ryan for sharing such extremely powerful insights and positive feedback!
It’s becoming more and more obvious my friend how and why you’re able to blog from paradise!
Thanks so much for stopping by and giving us a glimpse!
Hi Mark
Nice analogy, which I hadn’t considered before – not surprisingly!
But I see where you’re coming from. It’s actually a bit like the release of my first paid Internet Marketing book this week where my coach is standing by at a distance for if I get stuck with anything. He’s been called upon more than once 🙂
On a more serious note, my first venture into PPC really was like being thrown to the lions. I was with a different coach at the time (it was quite a time ago and I was VERY new). My first PPC campaign was a disaster, so I insisted on their “expert” setting one up for me. HIS campaign did no better than mine. End of PPC for me!
Thanks for an interesting post.
Joy
Thanks for the nice compliment Joy!
Your story kinda reminds me of the first two “how to” create your own websites
using WordPress classes I took. You talk about lost and completely spun out!LOL!
I was literally drowning in information overload.
And while I’ve yet to actually use PPC, I’ve seen a ton of otherwise fairly
savvy newbies attempt to and get their heads handed to them.
So I can definitely appreciate where you’re coming from.
And successful PPC campaigns do have a bit of a learning curve.
You sort of learn and pay for your education as go. And it’s definitely not
for the faint of heart.
Best wishes with the release of your new book BTW! What’s it about?
Thanks as always for your continuous support and for sharing your extremely valuable
input! I truly appreciate both!