If there’s any common theme among coaches—it’s that they don’t like marketing… they just want to coach. But, when it comes to bottom lines, the reality is that you don’t make money from coaching—you only make money from marketing. So, the question becomes how can we make marketing enjoyable and even fun so we will actually do it?

I got an idea the other day when I was preparing a workbook and worksheet for our monthly training package. When I thought about how much fun it will be to go through these materials with members, I realized that the titles of these documents could be better! After all, coaches already have too much work, so are they really going to want more “work,” i.e. a WORKbook and WORKsheet? Then it came to me. I’ll rename my materials “Playbook” and “Playsheet”. Then the perception will be that they are going to play, not work, with the materials.

This perception shift can be applied to marketing too. I know it’s a leap, but what if when you schedule a time to work on your marketing, you call it “play time” instead? I’ve already been doing this. I tell my friends that I don’t work on my business any more—I play with my business. I’m excited to get up every morning so I can go to my office and “play” on my computer.

My “To Do” list is now called the “Get To Do” list. My business playtime includes things that I love to do: writing emails and promotional copy (I love to write), designing graphics and webpages (I love to be artistic), making training materials (I love to create things), and having conversations with prospects (I love to meet people and find out more about them).

So now, if you are one of those coaches who dislikes marketing, I’d like to challenge you to see how you could make it “play” instead of “work.” How can you change your perception about marketing so you will do what it takes to market your business? After all, it still has to be done. So why not make it an enjoyable activity?

To incorporate this perception shift into your business, here are some handy steps:

  1. Take some time to brainstorm, what YOU could do to turn your “work time” into “playtime.”
  2. Watch how you refer to your business when in conversation. Talk about it as if you enjoy every aspect of it.
  3. Change your “To Do” list into a “Get To Do” list, and see how it changes your attitude about it.

The consequences will be that the anxious or frenzied vibration that comes from hating marketing will not be imbibed in your marketing. Instead the marketing will have a vibration of joy and therefore be more attractive to prospective clients. With a perception shift, you can make marketing more enjoyable. Why not give it a try?!