The Tribune

If you have something of value to offer the world, and dare to market it in a different way to what everyone else does, then congratulations are in order. You have joined the Marketing Revolution. Now before we begin a round of applause, there is one group you will find yourself consistently dealing with, and they are not in your corner. I call them the Naysayers.

The Naysayers are very real and persistent. Because your marketing will look different from everyone else’s, and because your messages and your strategies will be something they may not have thought of before, you can expect a chorus of people to tell you what you are doing is not going to work, and should not even be tried. And that’s only the beginning.

The Naysayers generally follow a pattern. The first thing they do is ridicule your strategies with comments such as: “That will never work here.” Then, when they see them starting to work, they will say: “Who do you think you are?” or “Do you think that you are better than the rest of us?” The third phase is the most painful, as they begin to actively block your strategies from working.

This blocking could come in two forms, internal or external. Internally, many a campaign has been torpedoed by an employee who will not do his or her part, because they do not want to change what they are currently doing. They will fake illnesses, family emergencies and ignorance about the process. This is despite you explaining it to them many many times. All these actions try to prove to you that what you are trying to do will not work.

Next, as your strategy begins to yield fruit, they will declare it is unfair. That it only worked because of your connections, because of the colour of your skin, because of who your parents are. Or they cite any other reason for why you are being successful because they themselves did not dare to try it.

Finally, in the case of your competitors, they will rush to copy your strategies and tactics, thinking they have the same ingredients. Often, they will fail because they do not know the inside details, as they are just copying and not innovating. In fact, you will know you are on the right track when this whole Naysaying routine begins.

But always remember this: The Naysayers are not your clients. Their opinions really do not matter. They are simply people who do not want to see you succeed, and have no intention of buying your services in the first place. They are just the negative voices that anyone who dares to accomplish something faces. And they are legion. So stay positive, continue to add value, and be bold and daring.

• NB: D’Arcy Rahming holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. A lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, Mr Rahming has clients in general insurance, the retail, health and medical fields, sports federations and financial services. He is also treasurer of the Bahamas Olympic Committee. To contact him he can be reached at DArcyRahmingsr@gmail.com.