Personality and Marketing

It’s “Personality Thursday”. and today we’re going to be discussing how your personality can determine your marketing style.

Are you an introvert? If you are, then you may like doing things behind the scenes. You may enjoy affiliate marketing, or, if you like to write, content marketing.

Are you an extrovert? Do you love to communicate and dialogue with others? If so, you may enjoy taking up the past time of blogging, and using it to promote your business.

Are you seriously analytical? Do you enjoy taking things apart and discovering what makes them tick? If you do, then you may enjoy learning all you can about internet marketing.

Are you a natural born leader? Do you know how to delegate? If you do, then jump start your business by getting others to do the grunt work for you.

Trade tasks you hate with those who love them.

Better yet, get a team of followers and form a marketing company.

There are SO MANY ways to make money online, but one mistake I see people make is thinking that they have to do it all. You don’t! But it is very helpful if you can recognize who in your circle of influence is good at what. And what their weakness is. Then contact them about working together on a project.

Are you great at writing sales copy but awful at developing? Join forces with a techie who can, and make a rock solid website together.
Having trouble getting traffic, but no trouble at all connecting with people and getting them to buy when they DO manage to find you? Join forces with someone who has traffic and share your networking talents with them…in exchange for a chance to share on their blog.

This really isn’t hard to do. In fact, it’s just as simple as asking.
Here’s the right way to do it.

Contact the marketer privately (never on the comment form on their blog or website, if it’s publically viewed),

Identify yourself, and mention what you like about their blog, skills, or latest post (be sincere, but don’t gush).

Mention what you yourself are doing on the internet scene, what your strong points are (don’t brag!) and then throw out the opportunity. Mention that it would be great if you both could somehow pool your resources, for a win-win solution.

Make it clear that they are under no pressure to accept the offer, and ask them what they think would be a fair arrangement (for example, I’ll help you improve your rankings if you help me write sales copy). You just need to be tactful about what you can offer, and then leave it up to them to tell you which of your skills they find helpful.

Finally, leave your contact information, especially a voicemail, and tell them you are looking forward to hearing from them.

That’s all there is to it!

So the next time you are thinking about how to get those holes plugged, look around you. Then reach out.

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What is Manipulation?

Manipulation is the practice of getting someone to do what they don’t want to do.

Influence is the dynamic of getting someone to want to do what they might not necessarily want to do, had they not been persuaded.

It may seem that manipulation is only used for nefarious purposes, but that is not always the case.

Manipulation exists when someone is forced, or coerced, or pressured physically, psychological, or emotionally, to do something they don’t really want to do. Manipulation can also be present when someone is made to feel guilty, or when one is subject to leverage in a situation (as in, if you don’t do this, then I’ll…).

Obviously someone with good intentions might use manipulation to get someone to do what they think was best for them or that person. “If you don’t stop drinking, and go to AA, then I’ll leave”. That’s an example of positive manipulation.

Chiropractors refer to the process of back adjustment, literally, as “manipulating” the patient, and I’ll be the first to tell you that it hurts so good. Yes, you will definitely feel force being used upon you, so that’s an example of something being manipulated through force.

In other words, manipulation, while not typically seen as a positive, is not always bad.

It depends on your motive.

But now, let’s talk about influence (remember, influence is when someone gets you to WANT to do something, but there is no pressure).

There was a time in my life when I hung around people who made poor choices. They never made me feel like I had to participate, yet I wanted to be like them. So what was going on here? I was being influenced…but not for my betterment.

On the flip side, if I had hung around more wholesome people, they probably would have influenced me to want to live a higher, more wholesome daily walk.

This is why it’s not enough to teach our children to stand against peer pressure. Even though I wasn’t pressured to do anything, I was definitely influenced…so when you think about it, the power of influence may be even stronger than the force of manipulation…because when you are influenced, you want to do something, no one pressures you into it.

Tomorrow, I’ll be discussing ways to stand against negative influences and manipulation.

Signal Crossing

One thing that some people engage in is what I call “signal crossing” and if you don’t know what it is, it can make you think you are losing your mind.

A signal crosser is someone who acts one way and dialogues another.An example is going to dinner with someone who tells you to eat whatever you want. Then after dinner, they say, “are you sure you don’t want desert?” when the waitress comes to the table.

This person is giving you mixed signals. They say that they want you to feel free to eat hearty, but then they kind of take it back.  (continue reading post)

 

“Gaslighting”{personality thursday}

Ingrid Bergman was the lead actress in a movie called “Gaslight”.

It’s a classic about a woman whose husband is trying to get her to think she is crazy, by turning the lights on and off and making her think she herself did so, and just forgot she did.

Psychologists have termed this type of “crazy making” Gas Lighting.

When some one is gaslighting in a relationship, they are trying to make you believe that you are the crazy one.

There are many ways people do this, and many reasons for it.

In my experience, projection is the main reason that people do this.

Or in other words, they are projecting their nonsense on to you, and blaming you for what they have done.

It’s also called mirroring, and it’s generally done when someone doesn’t want you getting too close to their true intent, so they act like you are the one to blame.

Gaslighting serves as a diversionary tactic for people who have been, or who are about to be, “found out”.

According to Martha Stout, Phd, sociopaths are the most common personality types to engage in this behaviour.

Not nearly enough space exists in this article to talk about that kind of near-human, but just know this…if someone in your life is engaging in “crazy-making’, that is, blaming you with insane accusations, and especially if they are pinning their dirt on you, then you need to get immediate distance.

I am very curious to know how many of you have been the victim of this type of treatment, ever.

Care to share?

Personality Thursday…The Passive Aggressive.

Last week we talked about the Backstabber who did so for personal gain.

But that’s not the only kind. Some people do mean things behind your back when they are a passive agressive person.

So what is a passive agressive personality type? Simply put, it’s someone who had trouble voicing their discontent with a decision someone makes, or their annoyance with something someone does.

Passive agressive people have a real need for others to like them. They would rather drink glass shards then risk rejection for standing up for themselves. It is so important for others to like them, that they put up with immense (albeit unintended) mistreatment.

Put a passive agressive together with a tactless, inconsiderate person who has no idea they are offensive, and you are sure to see passive agressive  behavior at it’s best (or should I say, worst).

Here’s how they work:

When a passive agressive person is mad about something, instead of confronting the (often clueless) offender, they simply sabatoge them in an underhanded way.

Question: How many passive agressives does it take to change a light bulb?

answer: One, but, well, it was dark and I couldn’t see real well, and I was tired and, oh dear, oh my, gee I am just SO SORRY but, well, the light bulb broke. Oh, I feel so bad, I know that all of the stores are closed right now. Well, please forgive me, my hand is bleeding and…no, no really. I’ll be alright. Here, maybe I can drive to seven eleven, no really, it’s fine. Are you sure? No really, I’m fine, I can get stitches tomorrow.

As you can see, the passive agressive is a pro at stabbing you behind the back, and yet earning your sympathy–all the while rejoicing at your downfall.

And, yes, a passive agressive person would even rather hurt themselves rather than give in to you.

Have you had to put up with passive agressive behaviour? Would love to hear your comments! (Click here)

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