Interview with Paul Jennings [pauljennings]

Please list web addresses where one can see something about you.

My Marketing and coaching business: Http://www.Meta-Marketing.co.uk My Marketing/business blog: http://startandgrowyourbusiness.blogspot.com My Marketing and coaching articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Paul_R_Jennings

What is your stance as a marketing professional? What are you good at? What differentiates you from others?

I have great vision to be able to see what would be great for a business and to be able to mentor business owners to be able to do the marketing for themselves. The fact that I have two angles of approach with clients from the marketing mentoring and coaching is what differentiates myself from others in either industry.

What is the most surprising thing you have learned about digital marketing in the last few years?

That it is such a vast area which changes on a monthly if not weekly basis, no one person or marketer can really be called an expert.

A few years ago, it was said that online sales would end up killing traditional store sales, but that has not been the case: how can you explain this?

It certainly has had an impact as we can see some big names in retail switching to online only and closing stores, however we still love to go out and hold and feel what we are buying, look at it and see if it's the right fit for us, because of that feeling we get from that experience I doubt stores will ever be 'killed' off.

Be a prophet. What phenomenon will revolutionize marketing in the next few years?

QR codes or Quick Response codes are going to become much more widely used, I first heard of QR codes about 4 years ago and though they were fantastic, however (at time of completing this interview Aug 2011) only marketers and a few business owners understand what they are. QR codes are beginning to be seen in lots of places and used by marketers however the general public do not know what they are or how they work. The fact that information about a film or a property that is for sale can be accessed quickly and easily from smartphones is brilliant, if you see a dvd in a shop one quick scan with the phones camera can take you off to a trailer for the film or for a property that is up for sale you can instantly get the information about it straight away.

Are you part of any professional networking sites? Has it served its purpose for you?

Yes I use Linkedin: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/paulrjennings Has it served it's purpose - yes I've made lot's of great contacts and found that the best way to use it is to be involved in the groups or even start your own! This way you can pick up great tips from people in your industry and people that have the same hobbies and interested in the same activities as themselves. I believe too many people though use it thinking that it's just to gain business and that is the wrong attitude, we should be using for more than that! I can also be found on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/Paul_Jennings Google Plus: http://www.gplus.to/pauljennings

What types of coaching do you do? Who are your clients?

I am a marketing mentor and coach for small business owners, who need marketing guidance and coaching to achieve their outcomes in business.

Can you provide a link to a site where we can get to know more about you, the type of work you do and/or the place where you do it?

Http://www.Meta-Marketing.co.uk

How did you get into coaching?

After getting into personal development and seeing a coach myself for a number of years, I decided it was an area I wanted to go into, after attending coaching courses, I found I got a buzz from helping people to make a change in their life and in their business. After doing marketing for my own businesses I decided that I would combine my marketing knowledge, skills and experience with my coaching skills to create my company Bloom to help other people.

Do you have innate qualities, or is it something that you learned?

I have learnt marketing and coaching skills to help business owners, from going on trainings and seminars. These skills and tools help me to help other create a rapid change, however I also speak from experience as I've also had the methods used on myself to get me out of a 'stuck' state.

What must the person you are helping contribute?

The person must have only a willingness to change and to take action, I mentor them in marketing skills, if they do not take action they will not get results! When I'm coaching it is more like guiding a person to the outcome that they desire, rather than telling them what they need to do.

Can positive thinking can be developed into a habit?

While looking at life from a positive angle wherever possible is a good thing, positive thinking does not get things done, there needs to be action. You can't just sit in an office and think I'm going to get business, I'm going to get business, I'm going to get business, It just won't come to you if there is no action. What I will say is although yes positive thinking is good and I always do my best to be on that side of life, life does get in the way and 'stuff' happens and there are times when positive thinking goes out the window. Positive thinking is more a way of life than a habit.

What is usually the main obstacle your clients face?

There is really no one main obstacle as each client is different and needs something different, however that said I find in business owners that a main issue is limiting beliefs, beliefs that they can't do something or that they don't deserve success or a limiting belief that, that particular type of marketing won't work for them before they've even tried it!

How do you recommend selecting a coach? Should it be someone who has followed the path that he/she wants to? Should it be someone they admire?

selecting the right coach is a personal thing, they should be comfortable with the coach and there should be rapport, The coach does not need to have 'followed the path' as clients have the answers within themselves, the coach is more of a guide, someone who can be outside of a situation and guide the client to the outcome they desire. If you imagine it as the coach of a sports personality who gives the sports personality that guidance but does not play the sport in a processional capacity. No it does not need to be someone they admire.

Ask me a question, make a comment, or request my opinion on something:

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