In my last couple of Sunday emails I've been looking at the barriers that hold us back from taking effective action with our marketing.

The final one I'd like to cover is being overwhelmed.

A number of my clients, when we first meet, talk about feeling paralysed. Not able to do anything with their marketing because they're just not sure what will work.

There just seems to be so many different options.

And the more advice they hear from different sources, the more confused they get and the less able they feel to confidently take action.

Often what I find when I dig beneath the surface is that the reason they can't decide what to do is that they don't really understand their clients at a deep enough level.

That might sound a bit harsh – but it's true.

When I say “deep understanding” I don't mean knowing your potential client's favourite football team or whether they're a wine afficionado.

There's nothing wrong with the sort of trivia most professionals gather about their potential clients. But it doesn't really help you sell.

What's important to know are their real challenges: their problems and issues, goals and aspirations. And what's going to motivate them to hire someone (like you) to help them.

When you have a picture of this – way beyond the superficial level – then your marketing becomes clear.

You know what messages will resonate, what services to offer. What channels to use to reach your ideal clients.

But it requires a bit of thought. Client's don't tell you these things. Often they're not consciously aware of them.

Over the last few years I've refined a technique for taking your knowledge of your clients and potential clients and mapping it out in a way that gives you Actionable Insights into their needs.

Stuff you can do something with in your marketing.

If you'd like to try out the process, the video is completely free to watch. Just head over to:

Customer Insight Mapping Video >>

And press play.