How Meal Planning Saved My Marketing
February 2nd, 2007 by Cristina Favreau
“What do I make for supper tonight?” Ah, the eternal, daily question. It’s so discouraging to have to wake up in the morning and think about so many hours ahead. One day, I decided to fight back and never ask that question again. How? Meal planning. So that Saturday afternoon, I sat down at the kitchen table with my recipe books, calendar, pad and paper, and I planned our meals for the entire week — recipe book page numbers, side dishes and all! From that plan, I was able to create my entire grocery list for the next day.
I can’t quite put my finger on my exact feelings that week, but it was a mixture of relief, pride and accomplishment — I won that battle!
When I decided to apply the same concept to marketing my business, the results were just as good. That’s when I found my marketing recipe book — Get Clients Now! by CJ Hayden. It basically walks you through the entire process of customizing your marketing plan for an entire month (she even uses meal planning analogies — action menu, success ingredients, choosing your appetizers, main course and dessert action items).
Like meal planning, the benefits of designing a marketing action plan are:
- You are actively working towards a measurable and reachable goal.
- You know exactly what to do when you go into your office.
- You’re no longer stuck in analysis paralysis (the equivalent to staring blankly in the fridge).
- You feel a sense of relief, pride and accomplishment, knowing you’ve taken an active role in marketing your business. You’re prepared, ready for action, and seeing results.
Being a busy Mom and ambitious entrepreneur, I love that when I have a few minutes to steal away into my office, my marketing plan is right there, taped to my desk. I simply choose an item to concentrate on and work on that. Having my marketing plan prepared for the entire month, I no longer sit at my desk asking “Where was I? What do I do now?”
So what’s on your marketing menu this month?
Copyright. Cristina Favreau. All rights reserved.
ABOUT CRISTINA
Cristina Favreau specializes in teaching independent service professionals who struggle with marketing, so they get more visibility, build their credibility and increase their self-confidence. Get her complimentary “12 Mistakes To Avoid in Your 30-Second Intro” ecourse at http://www.cristinafavreau.com/index.htm
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You’re welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered, including the “ABOUT CRISTINA” info above. Please send a copy of your reprint to web (at) cristinafavreau (dot) com.
Great sory telling Christina!
I knew you had it in you.
That is brilliant! As we have been planning our meals every week for as long as I can remember, this shouldn’t be too difficult for me to implement!
Tag, your It!
Share five things we might not know about you.
Dear Cristina,
I recently signed up to receive The Savvy Entrepreneur and this particular edition made me chuckle.
If there was ever a marketing analogy that I could relate to – it’s cooking! Specifically, planning and organizing meals! As a Personal Chef that is a big part of what I do for my clients. I not only create meals that thrill them and that meet their individual needs, but I handle all of the meal planning so they don’t have to. I get great satisfaction from my work and my clients are relieved to come home, open the fridge or freezer and see, in tangible terms, that they have one less thing to worry about in their week!
I’m loving the marketing tips and boosts I’m gaining through The Savvy Entrepreneur, keep up the good work!
Chef Sandy Hall
Dinners on Demand Personal Chef Service
Thanks Megan for the nudge in the right direction. Although this is more of a formal text, written for my newsletter, it was SO much fun to write and has resonated with many on my mailing list.
As for tagging me… Thanks! I’ve been putting off my first tag invitation from Eve…
Janet, sounds like you’re way ahead of the game!!! Please share with us a sampling of your marketing menu!
Sandy, I’m so glad you could personally relate to my story! You’ll have to let us know how planning your marketing in the same way gives you “one less thing to worry about” in the week!!
BTW, I love the look and feel of your website. Very professional and earthy. And what glowing testimonials!!
[...] I’ve also applied this concept to marketing my business. Read about it here: “How Meal Planning Saved My Marketing“. [...]
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