I'm a Lousy Marketer. Now My Living is Tied to Marketing.

There's one thing all tech guys have in common: they are lousy marketers. And some are more lousy that others. In the rank, I think I fall under the lousiest of the lousy.

image: yousuckatmarketing.com

In fact, on the surface quitting my job is more like I'm burying myself alive.

Here are some of my marketing sins:

1. I don't pick calls. I'm trying to change this, but people still complain about it. And God knows how many potential customers have been pissed off.
2. I seldom call back. I'm also working on this.
3. I dread cold calling. Calling potential clients that I don't know. 
4. I don't get back or keep in touch. All my friends know this. They are the ones who do the keeping in touch.
5. I don't like pestering people. 

And it's like I've chosen an impossible life. The only thing going well for me is that I provide excellent services that make the few clients I have stick and refer me to friends and family. 

Till today, since 2012, I have not gotten a single client by my own direct effort. Every single one of the clients I have had did the initial/first contact. They called me up. All the ones I called didn't call me back and I believe are even avoiding my calls. And the emails I send; if not that I get mails from other people, I will think something is wrong with my email. Like either my mails aren't delivering or I'm on a lot of people's blacklist.

 Now, I'm contacting everyone I have worked for, asking for referrals and more jobs. I plan to do a lot of cold calls this week and visit a couple of potential clients. And maybe knock on doors of people who are not responding to my mails, and people who are not expecting me.

Life is hard, even for the most privileged. But I seem to be constantly making it harder for myself. Just that I enjoy it that way; it's adventure to me. Sometimes I see myself as Sinbad, living the dangerous and adventure-packed sailor's life. Having lots of life skills and charting my own course. Steering myself wherever I want to go. Making my own rules. And pursuing every single one of my dreams. And one day hoping it will be worth it.