I hear from business owners and entrepreneurs all the time: “I hate marketing” or “I’m no good at marketing.”

No wonder they struggle.

Somehow, they’ve wrapped up marketing with some idea of smarmy, manipulative, annoying selling. (While there is a difference between marketing and selling, neither is evil.)

Marketing isn’t this awful, manipulative, necessary evil in your business. It’s not just a way to let people know about you, your company, and your services. It’s bigger than that.

I embrace marketing, and I invite you to do the same. Here are seven ways to change your attitude around marketing.

• Think of marketing as a conversation. Imagine you’re talking to your girlfriend about this awesome, cool thing you’re doing. You wouldn’t clam up, would you? How would you talk about it? What words would you use?
• You have to believe in what you’re selling. If you don’t believe in it, you’ll find it hard to talk about it, and you’ll feel like one of those smarmy salespeople.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.