RSS feeds and blogs took Internet marketing by a storm in 2005.  Every time we turn around there’s a brand new marketing vehicle speeding down the Internet highway.  In the fast paced race of the virtual world, it’s easy to get swept away in the current of technology.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that computers have taken control of both our personal world and the business world.  That’s a scary thought!  It’s nearly impossible to even make a phone call without talking to a computer, much less try to find success in the marketplace without spending more time with your computer than you do your family.

Honestly, it wouldn’t be so bad if I could get my computer to do what I wanted it to all of the time.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of days when I’m ready to pull my hair out in frustration because it refuses to obey my commands (usually screamed or hissed through gritted teeth).  It’s then that I realize just how little control I really do have in this technological world.

Think about it… when a computer refuses to do what you want it to, what are your alternatives?  You can glare all day, threaten to fire it, or get mad and use a few expletives.  It just sits there, frozen, with the same error message on the screen – unintimidated and unchanging.  (That’s when you learn to appreciate staff members who are at least upset when you get ticked off because they don’t do what you want them to.)

Don’t take me wrong.  Computers are really the most amazing invention to ever be introduced to humans.  Take a look at Federal Express.  Every day millions and millions of packages pass through the company’s computer system.  You can track your package with a few clicks of the mouse and know exactly where it’s at and when it will arrive at your doorstep.  A perfect example of a company that is in control of its computer system!

Technology can advance your marketing goals as well.  How can you take the reigns and make technology an asset rather than a master?

1. Take Control
Simply take control.  Hey, I’m serious!  How often do we find ourselves using computers for more than we intended to?  Yeah, we find out what they can do and feel like we have to use them when we’re not ready.  Don’t forget that you have the power to say, “No!” or even, “later.”  Jumping into a project half prepared is the perfect formula for letting your computer take control.

2. Learn the Ropes.
Even the most skilled web designers and computer programmers were once newbies who had to learn which button turned the computer on.  Don’t be intimidated.  Take some classes or find someone to tutor you.  Be confident that you understand before you incorporate a new program into your marketing campaign.

Computers may rule the world, but they don’t have to rule you and me as individuals.  We’re free to use them when they meet the needs of our marketing goals.  We’re free to boot them when they become troublesome… just don’t forget to make a back up!

I spent my formative years in ballet class. While other kids went out to play, I went to ballet class. In high school while others attended after-school activities or hung out together, I went to ballet class.  By my mid-teens I was taking class five or six times a week or maybe even more. This was a habit that continued until injuries sidelined my professional dancing career.

This habit of taking a ballet class every day was not mine alone. Every dancer, professional or those seeking to become professional, takes class every day. It’s a habit, it’s a reality, it goes with the job. It is impossible to dance professionally without taking class. Even the stars, Barishnykov, for example, take class every day.

In my late teens I had some personal crises that stopped me from going to class everyday. At one of my rare appearances in class, my teacher asked where I had been. I told her what was going on in my life. She said to me, “That’s no reason not to take class. You have to take class everyday, no matter what.”

Sounds harsh doesn’t it? But she was right. Not taking class only gave me something else to feel bad about.

When I started my sales training business, I used that same “no matter what” approach to prospecting. I prospected every day. I started out with absolutely no corporate connections. I was a ballet dancer, I only knew other ballet dancers. I did, however, know how to prospect. On and off for years my “day job” had been telemarketing. I began to prospect the same way I learned to take class, every day, no matter what. Five years later I have a thriving business. Even today I continue to prospect every day, while perhaps not for as many hours. Every day brings some prospecting activity, no matter what.

So how does the busy entrepreneur, busy owner or sales professional find the time to prospect every day, no matter what? The answer is simple, put it in your calendar. Schedule time in your calendar every day for prospecting activity. At the scheduled time put aside what you are doing and prospect. Do not take other calls, do not work on other projects, do not allow interruptions. Simply prospect. When the time you have scheduled is over, stop prospecting and go on with your other tasks.

Schedule appointments with yourself to prospect and  keep those appointments. We get angry and upset when prospects miss appointments. Ask yourself, “Why is it all right to miss an appointment with myself?”

Prospecting success (just like learning to dance) comes over time. In order to keep your sales funnel full you must constantly be on the lookout for leads and prospects. By keeping your funnel full you avoid the boom and bust cycles that so many entrepreneurs and sales professionals experience.